Hello Strange

It's an insightful look into human behaviours and emotions through a non-human observer, essentially a lovely but dangerous romance with an insidious subplot full of future tech, action sequences and cinematic passages of so much depth and description it's bound to appeal to kids of about 14 and up . . . I thought it was absolutely fantastic.

Louise Ward, Radio NZ

Hello Strange is aptly named. I did find it strange, but also clever and intriguing and I was left with an eerie feeling of what might be to come? The inner design of the book is also unique . . . Interesting…

whatbooknext.com

Great read for the young adult in us all! 5 Stars

Danielle, Goodreads

A pacy page turner.

NZ Herald

A page turning futuristic thriller from Pamela Morrow. Interesting, complex characters; fast-moving plot and convincing world building makes 'Hello Strange' a gripping read. Recommended for Intermediate age kids and upwards (especially if you enjoy sci fi).

Maria Gill, kidsbooksnz

Josie herself is a fantastic character. She has an early understanding of choice and irony, and the first real decision she makes is to ignore her programming in favour of exploration. Hello Strange doesn’t really get into the mechanics of this choice—its focus is always on emotional rather than artificial intelligence, and the question of why is reserved for questions like lying and love. This skews into the importance of interaction with others, which introduces a very real sense of humour into the narrative that’s enormously appealing. . . . There’s a decision tree and everything. It’s hilarious. In fact, the whole book is filled with diagrams and small illustrations, page backdrops and wildly varying fonts. There’s something very frenetic about it, and all credit to the book designer because the effect is excellent.

Octavia Cade, Strange Horizons

Hello Strange is an enthralling and exhilarating narrative about the intellect of artificial intelligence. By diving deep into the minds of both the humanoid and the humans that meet them, it explores the concept of emotion, choice, and free will, alongside the subsequent consequences that have the potential to occur. . . . One of the best parts of the book are definitely the little graphic designs strewn about the pages. Within the novel, there are pieces of art that gather on different pages, sometimes music notes, other times stars, lightning, water droplets, et cetera. Whenever and wherever these are, they always correlate to what is being mentioned in the story, adding a pleasing extra touch. I noticed this instantly when reading and fell in love, searching for them as I continued. Even the design around the page numbers is different and appealing. I’d recommend Hello Strange to anyone interested in seeing a take on artificial intelligence mingling in a human setting, where they go from understanding basics through their code, to using experiences to fuel their knowledge. Morrow masterfully paints an image of artificial intelligence being truly alive and not just a toy to be controlled and thrown away and experimented with. The book communes with different perspectives on the matter, scrutinising scenarios to be thought about. The best part is how exquisitely it’s represented. Both the visual and text aspects make it a thoroughly entertaining story that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to read.

Prabhleen Notra, 14 years old, Read NZ, Hooked on Books