Karen Bao, a 2012 Princeton High School graduate, will discuss her debut novel, Dove Arising (Viking Juvenile $17.99) in the Community Room at the Princeton Public Library on Friday, February 27 at 7 p.m.

The first in a planned trilogy, the novel, about a young woman who lives in a colony on the moon and embarks on a quest to save her mother and siblings, was written when the author was a 17-year-old high school senior. Its totalitarian society setting was inspired by stories she heard about her grandfather, a professor who was imprisoned in Mao’s reeducation camps in China. The scientific foundations in the book are based on the author’s own research in biology and technology. She is presently a sophomore majoring in biochemistry at an Ivy League university.

Dove Arising tells the story of Phaet Theta who has lived her whole life in a colony on the moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar. Then her mother is arrested.

According to School
Library Journal, “Characters are well developed, especially strong-willed Phaet, and an even pace will keep teens turning pages. Fans of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, Veronica Roth’s Divergent, and Marie Lu’s Legend should flock to this well-written debut effort by 19-year-old Bao.” 

Karen Bao graduated from JW in 2008 and PHS in 2012.

More information can be found on www.dovearising.com.