Soman Chainani is known for putting his own spin on fairytale vibes for more than a decade. When he announced that he was shaking it up and switching to publishing a contemporary novel, and one with quite the premise.

Young World [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] is told mostly through journal entries for Benton Young’s government class project. He writes about having a crush on a girl who tells him he needs to have a cause that will improve the world and it’s not enough to just live. He takes issue with this and posts a YouTube video talking about wanting a younger president of the United States who would actually do something, and it goes viral…. to the point that he is elected and sparks the same results for other countries. Now, Sweeden’s new teenage leader is calling a G-8 Conference with all the teenage leaders and Benton is not looking so sharp.

This story is full of twists and turns, a muder investigation, turmoil in the White House, assassination attempts, and lots of teenage stupidity. It’s entertaining with some actual facts built in so teens might actually learn a thing or two along the way. The pacing wasn’t always to the level I wanted it to be, which is probably my only complaint. The story makes the premise of a teenage president feel plausible.

It’s specifically designed to be a book that actually gets teenagers, so complaints about the swearing fit right into the goal. And if swearing in a teen book is a problem, you might want to listen to what is actually coming out of teens mouths. It’s already there.

One thing that does make this book special is it has dozens of illustrations that aren’t just there for looks, but actually help tell the story. From news articles to graphs and maps, to ads and letters, there’s a ton that make getting the physical copy worthwhile. Plus, that nuclear orange is something you have to see in real life to experience. It doesn’t photograph well.