Set in the year 2277, a young woman named Simone has to decide between the upper class but soulless life she's expected to live in the elevated New Bolt Harbor and a poorer, grittier but much more rewarding lower class life in "Rust City", the lower old half of Bolt Harbor, with a motley but loyal group of riders-for-right called the Moped Army who have to build their own bikes and acquire the illegal gasoline their bikes need to run. Inspired by the real life organization of moped riders and devotees, it won the ALA's 2007 Great Graphic Novel for Teens award. It was well deserved.

I enjoyed the comfortable art style of the novel and was impressed at the extremely diverse characters of the Moped Army, who come in a wide variety of sizes, colors, ethnicities and lifestyles (from a tattooed, mohawked punk guy who loves Bert from Sesame Street to a dark-rimmed-glasses-wearing technogeek to a beret-clad prep). I was also highly impressed that Paul alluded to a woman deserving to gain pleasure from sex and to having a female character masturbate to orgasm to please herself. It's done extremely tastefully and in an entirely appropriate way for a young adult graphic novel, but it gives an understated but powerful message to those who listen to it. The main character, Simone, is also treated like property by her dolt of a boyfriend, but throughout the novel starts standing up for herself and exposing him and his friends as the immoral men they are. There's also Chu-Toi ("Chew Toy"), who's a tomboy femme gal all the way in her goggles and short dress, and isn't afraid to kick some butt. It's probably one of the few graphic novels I've read that I'd say is feminist, yet it's subtle with it... never overbearing.

The only reason I gave it 4.5 stars vs 5 stars is because of the poor binding of the book. I've only had it 2 weeks and already one of the pages has fallen out and the others threaten to leave the binding altogether.

Full of adventure, personal growth, and geeky, DiY excitement, this never boring, never alienating, fresh and fun graphic novel leaves readers thirsting for the next issue. ( )