ABANDONED. YA sci-fi girl trying to save dad from prison on mars

[Elle]

I read this book years ago. It was probably around '99/00.

Its about a girl who is trying to save her dad from being sent to mars because of some blue collar crime he committed. It's set in the far future.

I remember that the buildings that people live in are extremely tall and the higher up the buildings you live the wealthier you are. The people who live on the ground or surface are mainly homeless people.

Because of who lives on the surface, the people who live in high rises don't go down to the surface. but the protagonist and her friend sneak down there and they get stuck there after a riot at a concert. She's then taken in by a group of teens who steal to get by. She ends up falling for a boy in the group.


I don't really remember much else. I don't think i ever finished the book. But i do remember the whole high-rise concept.

any help would be great :)

[Erin]

Could it be a Wrinkle in Time? I haven't read that book, but my best friend has and she told me a lot about it.

[Lisa]

I've read A Wrinkle in Time over 100 times and I doubt that that is the book.

[Elle]

Unfortunately its not A Wrinkle in Time. I'm fairly sure that this book was written in the 1990s. But thank you for your suggestion.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Elle, are you still looking for this book?

[Elle]

Yes I am but I don't think anything will come of it. I'm not sure how to close the thread though.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

There's no need to close it. It's possible someone who recently joined the group will see your thread and know what it is. You never know....

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Elle, I still have titles that are older than yours that I hope to find through this group some day. And I have had a few that took 3 or more years to get solved (but they WERE finally solved.) You just need to bump this up once a month or so, so that it stays in the forefront of people's minds.

[Elle]

Thank you Ann :) I'm not very savvy when it comes to threads, etc. I'll try to post in this every once in while.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Still looking?

[Elle]

Unfortunately, I have not had any luck in finding this book.

However, since this thread has been open for so long, it would only be fair to close the thread.

Thank you for your suggestions and help everyone!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

No need to close- threads can be left open indefinitely. Someone found a book recently after 4-5 years.

[Ingo]

Also some other reader (like me) might like to read the book.
Reading through the messages here, there are only few comments, but no bumps, are they not shown? There was no activity between late 2010 and 2013, which I find surprising, I would have expected the bumps there, maybe each month or every 90 days.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Bumps show Ingo. The OP just wasn't doing them.

[Elle]

Yeah sorry guys I'm still not very savvy with threads so haven't bumped the thread.

[Elle]

Bump :)

[Kris]

Elle, is the story set on Earth?
What is her father's job or position in society?
What crime is her father accused of?

[Elle]

Hi Kris! Yes the story is set on Earth. I don't remember many details about what the father did other than it was a blue collar crime. I think he may have committed fraud or something similar. I think he may have lost investor's money. Mind, I could be way off because it's been a very long time since I read the book.

[Kris]

Does she have special skills or powers that might help her father? Or is through connections to people she knows?

[Elle]

No she has no powers. Its a dystopian sci-fi book but noone has any special powers.

I think her family may have been influential or at least regarded within the elite community because i remember her mother wouldn't discuss what her father had done (out of embarrassment I'm assuming).
I dont remember how she planned on saving her father, just that that was what she wanted to do.

[Elle]

Bump :)

[Kris]

What's the sequence of events (e.g., father is accused of crime he committed but doesn't go to jail, girl gets caught down below after a concert/riot, meets a group of teens, stays with the teens?? perhaps they try to help her save her father??)?

Can you describe this group of teens, where they live, what they do, etc.? Does she spend most of her time with them?

Sounds like she has no brothers or sisters?

[Elle]

The sequence of events is what you have listed.

She has a younger brother but I don't remember him playing a large role in the book.

The teens 'below' are mostly criminals; they steal to survive. Once she's stuck 'below' she spends most of her time with the group of teens.

Annoyingly, I can't remember much else. Not much to go by, I know :(

[EllieMac]

It's not Falling Onto Mars by Geoffrey Landis, is it? That's a short story not a novel, though.

[Kris]

Falling onto Mars for the link.

[Elle]

I've read the description for Falling onto Mars. It might be that book, but it sounds like Falling onto Mars is set mostly on Mars, whereas the book I read was set predominately on Earth. But thank you for the suggestion. It's the closest I've come to finding the book :)

[Ronnie]

Hey Elle.

Just posting here my info about the book in case someone knows about it as well. The book if I can remember came out in the 80's. (At least i think it did/or way before) I can't remember the name of the book but I remember it was the rich that lived high in buildings past the clouds because of the pollution/Toxic air. The poor people lived on the ground below with the toxic air. So what they did was build all the buildings higher to escape past the clouds. People that lived in the buildings could not go past the 50th floor downward. It was blocked off. I believe it was a woman/young girl and someone else. Maybe her brother and they got past the 50th floor and went downwards to the ground floor and met other people. I think for an event. That's all I can really remember. The book does exist!!!

There is someone else with the same problem/Book. Hope this helps :-)

Here is the other forum about it:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Elle]

Thanks for your comment Ronnie. I had a look at the link you provided. Your description matches what I remember about the book but the link reads as another book. Thanks for reaching out though.

[Ronnie]

Ahhhh damn, that was the wrong link. Don't think i can find the right link again :(
But this is the book. Will post back if i ever find it :D Someone has to know this book.

Cheers...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Elle left the group. Moving to Abandoned.