Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

Fever travels across future London to help an archaeologist, as he digs for Scriven artifacts. Scrivens were non-human, and they were lead by a man named Godshawk. They were wiped out during an uprising by the citizens, but Godshawk's secret laboratory is still hidden under the city. Fever starts to get strange visions (memories?), as she searches the tunnels, but she's not aware that her life is in danger; the last of the Skinners is hunting her down. Members of the Movement are closing in on London, and this may spell doom for the citizens of the city. Godshawk was working on a mysterious when he was killed, but will its discovery be a blessing or a curse?

This book was a 2010 finalist for the Cybils award in middle grade speculative fiction. I liked the idea of the plot, but it didn't totally work for me. I think I had trouble connecting with Fever's character, because she was so unsure of herself. She was raised to think logically, but her feelings confused her thinking. The visions helped with the confusion. I enjoyed references to artifacts that were actually objects from our everyday lives, but I'm not sure young readers will make the connections. Overall, I enjoyed the book.