Augusta Pine Does Not Exist – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Dystopian Teenage Criminal’s Second Chance.
YA book title: Augusta Pine Does Not Exist.
YA author: Emily Lloyd-Jones.
Genre: Thriller.
Published by: Penguin Books.
ISBN: 9780241772416.
Recommended for children aged: 12+.
First published: Paperback July 2026.
This YA book is ideal for: teenage misfits in search of an imperfect, rebellious protagonist. Dystopian adventure, thrill and danger through the eyes of a spy working for a dodgy government organisation.
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Our review:
“This is how you kill someone.”
The very first sentence of Augusta Pine Does Not Exist pulls you straight into the complex life and sketchy past of the first teenage government-employed wraith, ‘Augusta’ (not her real name). Set in the not-too-distant future, a hopeless portrayal of future American society sets the backdrop to the intense action. If not for her highly illegal, sentient AI spybot, Edgar, and her handler, Prefect, Augusta would spend most of her life alone.
The narrative flips between a high-stakes ‘current’ plotline and flashbacks to previous events. Missing her family from her former life, Augusta sets herself up in accommodation near her Nonna, with whom she cannot interact but whom she hopes to view from afar. Nonna is likely of the late Generation X or millennial age group, and her resistance to ‘modern’ technology and insistence on old-fashioned items, such as a key for her front door, turns out to be a huge benefit as the story unfurls. Also present in the present-day plotline are brother and sister Eames and Piper, whom Augusta first meets by the pool on the way into Nonna’s apartment block. As the plot progresses, their stories become increasingly intertwined.
There are clearly a number of warnings and points to ponder regarding some of the futuristic developments in the narrative. The story is set in a world where climate change has been allowed to run rampant and has not been effectively tackled. It has become a sad and sorry fact of life, hurting certain groups of people more than others. It is also a world where artificial intelligence, technology and personal screens have been taken to a whole other level (though sentient AI is technically still illegal – tut tut, Augusta!). All of these points would open up fantastic areas of debate among young adult or late teen readers, as well as being extremely relevant for those age groups who are going to have to deal with the impacts of these changes as they grow further into adulthood.
‘Augusta’ presents a good opportunity for analysing a character of unclear, changeable morals. It is clear that she means well, is highly intelligent and feels deep guilt regarding her mistakes. However, she is also impulsive and rebellious, regularly putting herself and others in danger in an instant. An encounter where she goes undercover as a new child in a high school to befriend the daughter of a notorious inventor shows her wonderfully humane and caring side, as does her precarious pursuit of her Nonna.
Without giving too much away, the book ends with more than a few loose ends, leading the reader to assume that one or two sequels may be around the corner (hopefully!). And will we ever find out Augusta’s name or any more than a few sparse details about her former life?
Augusta Pine Does Not Exist will be published in July 2026 and is a must-have addition to your older teen or young adult book collection.
Many thanks to Penguin for the review copy.
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