The Great Destroyers

Jo lives in a world where nuclear weapons were never created.  Instead, nations learned to build mechas, giant robotic suits of armor, to fight their battles and end WWII.  Now mecha fighting is a popular sport around the world, and nations come together every four years for the Pax games to see whose fighters are the best.  

Jo lives in San Fransisco with her father and younger brother in a repair shop that usually pays the bills.  They never talk about her mother who was Chinese and left when her brother was a baby.  All Jo remembers are the bad times, and it's better for people not to know she's half-Chinese since many people are openly racist against them.  

Jo dreams of fighting in the Pax Games, but people don't take her seriously because she's a girl.  The United States has never sent a female fighter to the games, but the Soviets have.  Two of the highest ranking fighters in the world are sisters from the Soviet Union, and the tensions of the Cold War make them the team American's hate.

Everything changes for Jo when Senator Appleby knocks on her door.  One of the American fighters for the games is injured, and his spot is Jo's if she wants it!  Before she knows what's happening, she's in a plane headed for Washington, D.C.  Jo loves mecha fighting, and she wants to be the Soviets and win, but she also knows the winners get endorsements from corporations, endorsements that would go a long way to helping her family get financial security.  

But the games have barely begun when fighters start to die in the arena.  Is this some kind of sabotage?  When the blame is directed at Jo, she knows she has to figure out the truth if she doesn't become a victim in the process.

Caroline Tung Richmond has another alternate history for fans to enjoy.  Even readers who don't know the real details of this period in history will enjoy the political plotting, robot battles, and mystery.  Maybe this book will encourage them to do some research and see how the events in the book compare to real life.  Hand this one to historical fiction and Hunger Games fans alike!  Recommended.