A dramatic, stylishly written, futuristic novel of rebellion… —The Children’s Bookshop
Rich in plausible detail and character, Box is a powerful and rewarding novel with a wide appeal. —Trevor Agnew (Magpies)
Selected for international White Ravens, a list of outstanding books for children in 2006.
After a pandemic, New Zealand becomes the first country to use an implant that monitors a person’s health. A group of teenagers resist the system…
Penelope Comments:
It was a surprising coincidence when Box came out just as NZ’s biggest mass ( B meningococcal) vaccination of teenagers was under way. However, that wasn’t the point of the book which started out with a memory I have of sleeping on a sheet of cardboard as a kid. It grew via Derik, Marti and Disco into a mass rebellion by teens against the government’s attempts to vaccinate and ‘optimise’ the health of its citizens, compulsorily. Through them I explore notions of what the body knows, who should have a say in our healthcare, and how far that should be a private matter. I also enjoyed sending my characters through the streets and green belt of Dunedin where I live, and winding up with a mass rally in the Octagon.
Click here for author interview.
Box launch in Antarctica 2005 (Photo Claire Beynon) 
One response to “Box”
[…] when something goes wrong in the world. Eg. Box by Penelope Todd about an epidemic that strikes New Zealand. Which aspect of the story matters most to you? That is […]