The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

This book was recommended by a number of students over the past few years, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Kayla is turning seventeen, and it's expected that she'll get the bar code tattoo on her wrist like most other people. However, she suspects there's more to the tattoos than just for identification purposes. Her father commits suicide and blames it on the tattoo. Her best friend's parents lose their jobs and money, apparently because of the tattoos. Kayla joins several other young people who support the Decode movement of a national senator, but there may be a spy among them. Kayla eventually finds herself wanted by the government and is forced to run for her life.

This book reminds me a great deal of the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials series written by Scott Westerfield. The government is out to control the citizens, and a group of young people decide to rebel. This book kept me wondering about the hidden secret behind the tattoos and included some action, especially once Kayla was on the run. It's also a book that makes readers think about society and government power. Citizens today wonder about personal privacy, and this book takes it to the extreme.