The Limit by Kristen Landon

In the not-too-distant future the government has stepped in to "help" individuals control their personal debt. Everyone is given a limit, and families who exceed their limit are given options: they can undergo a program of strict spending regulation or send one of their children to a workhouse.


This has always been something that happened to other families. Then one day Matt's mother's card is rejected at the supermarket. A few hours later Matt is taken. At first it's not a big deal. Matt is placed on the Top Floor, with it's cushy rooms, unlimited buying and freedom to order anything and everything for meals. But Matt is suspicious and hacks into the workhouse's computer. What he finds shocks him out of his complacency. Now he has to find a way to stop the abuses going on before he's permanently silenced.

This thrilling novel takes today's economics and turns them into a dystopia that is easily imagined. I could not stop reading it and recommend it highly.