Zero Day

by Jan Gangsei

Overview

Eight years ago, Addie Webster was the victim of the most notorious kidnapping of the decade. Addie vanished-and her high-profile parents were forced to move on.

Mark Webster is now president of the United States, fighting to keep the Oval Office after a tumultuous first term. Then the unthinkable happens: the president's daughter resurfaces. Addie is brought back into her family's fold... but who is this sixteen-year-old girl with a quiet, burning intelligence now living in the White House? There are those in the administration who find her timely return suspicious.

When a national security advisor approaches Darrow Fergusson, Addie's childhood best friend and the son of the president's chief of staff, he doesn't know what to think. How could the girl he's missed for all these years be a threat to the United States? Still, at the risk of having his own secrets exposed, Darrow agrees to spy on Addie.

He soon realizes that his old friend is much more than the traumatized victim of a sick political fringe group. Addie has come home with a mission...but will she choose to complete it?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484725481
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	12/06/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	286,462
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jan Gangsei lives in Washington, D.C. with her family. She has a degree in political science and is a former newspaper reporter covering both politics and the police beat. Zero Day is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

"This thriller doesn't let up its unrelenting pace until the breathless conclusion... The writing is complex enough to satisfy more sophisticated YA readers yet fast-paced enough to keep the attention of reluctant readers... Gangsei's killer political novel is a must-read for those who enjoy a tight plot in their psychological thrillers."
— School Library Journal

"Gangsei's debut clearly benefits from her Washington, D.C. experience; although settings and time periods shift frequently, it's always easy to follow the swift-paced plot... There are refreshing multi-cultural elements... realistic instances of terrorism, and what feels like an insider's look at the White House."— Booklist

"The real draw is the gripping intrigue, elements of which remain unresolved at the end, so readers who enjoy an edge-of-the-seat read with a real-world feel and human complexities can happily anticipate future adventures for Addie and Darrow."— BCCB

Accolades
2017 Lone Star Reading List (Texas), selection
2018-2019 Iowa High School Book Award List, selection

From the Publisher

12/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—It's been eight hellish years since little Addie, daughter of then governor Webster, disappeared without a trace, leaving a raw and gaping hole in the lives of her family and her best friend, Darrow. While her family grieved and eventually moved on with their lives, Darrow continues to blame himself for Addie's disappearance, obsessively following dead-end leads and alleged sightings. Suddenly, a 16-year-old girl shows up, claiming she's Addie Webster, but is this just a coincidence, or is she somehow tied to the national security threat that President Webster is grappling with? This thriller doesn't let up its unrelenting pace until the breathless conclusion, which hints at a sequel. Throughout, teens will see glimpses into Addie's haunted past via flashbacks and begin to figure out what's really happening with the troubled girl. Addie isn't the only character whose complex persona fuels the action. In his search to understand Addie, Darrow takes a number of risks that threaten his life; Addie's sister has a complicated history with Darrow and has just returned from a stint in rehab; and even Addie's parents are not who they seem. The writing is complex enough to satisfy more sophisticated YA readers yet fast-paced enough to keep the attention of reluctant readers. VERDICT Gangsei's killer political novel is a must-read for those who enjoy a tight plot in their psychological thrillers.—Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School, WA

School Library Journal

2015-09-16
At age 8, Adele Webster disappeared from her home without a trace. Now, eight years later, Addie has escaped her captors and returned to her family—at the White House, where her father, a former Virginia governor, is two years into a term as president of the United States. Family, friends, and the entire country are overjoyed to have Addie back, but not everyone believes Addie is just an innocent victim. When the president's special adviser on cybersecurity blackmails Darrow Fergusson, the last person to see Addie before she disappeared, into spying on her, Darrow discovers his oldest friend isn't as naïve or as lost as she appears. Outwardly, Addie is meek and has no memory of her life before the kidnapping, but unknown to everyone else, she's become a computer-hacking genius with a mission, one that, if successful, will bring the U.S. government, and the rest of the world, to its knees. Unfortunately, this thriller doesn't thrill. The third-person, perspective-switching narration is bland; some characters don't seem to have a purpose; confusing plot points interrupt the story's flow; and dry characterization drags the story down. There are a few heart-pounding moments and a cliffhanger ending, but nothing can redeem what could have been an enticing political thriller. Skip it. (Thriller. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews

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