Every now and then a book comes along wherein the reader is genuinely surprised by a shocking development halfway through. This is one such stunner, constructed like an episode of the television show 24, with chapters broken up into the events of 24 chaotic and confusing hours from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. A complicated book that demands careful attention from the reader, it includes such current topics as time travel, computer simulations and military planning. While the beginning is a bit difficult, those who make it to the stunning revelation will be completely hooked. Seven children are installed in a high-security military installation with nearly 200 highly trained security personnel. Each child is a genius with his or her own talents and personality. There’s an air of mystery about exactly the intentions of the leader of the military post. When one girl is taken to a secret area under the base, all hell breaks loose. The children attempt escape from a situation they have been put in through truly horrendous circumstances by calculating adults. Philosophical issues to consider involve the manipulation of science leading to a truly thought-provoking conclusion: Will computers one day surpass their creators and gain the ability to influence humans? A bit bloody and certainly complex, the story leaves the reader with much to ponder. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-15-206240-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
In a departure from his realistic novels, Thomas (Satellite Down, 1998, etc.) tries a science fiction adventure intended for younger readers, with less success. Grady, 13, is a junior-high geek and botanist who is invited to join a secret forest regeneration project in the Amazon. The project is directed by the mysterious Dr. Carter, who turns out to be, not surprisingly, a standard mad scientist. When Grady arrives at the site he is scorned because his colleagues were unaware of his youth; assigned to drudge work and left alone at the campsite, Grady surreptitiously analyzes the data the team has collected, and realizes that Dr. Carter is growing poisonous trees that are destroying the food chain. When his efforts are discovered by Dr. Carter, Grady escapes from the camp and joins the local Indians. The book shifts into an action adventure tale, as Grady fights hostile tribes and attempts to foil Dr. Carter. While the scenario is imaginative and Thomas doesn’t completely abandon his fortÇ, characterization, at the core this novel is a kids-know-best shoot-’em-up. When Grady blossoms into an Amazonian superhero, the author’s fans may feel the threat of incredibility, but they’ll also have to turn every page to the end. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81780-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Gabriel McCloud, an alcoholic from a family of losers, is dead at 18, an ``inevitable'' end met when he slammed his truck into a tree. Coming in after this grisly moment, readers share other characters' reactions to Gabe's death—and learn why the violent end of a troublemaking McCloud was not so expected after all. Girlfriend Jennie literally goes to the edge of a cliff, where she awaits the tide to sweep away her pain and the baby within her. Teacher Carolyn Sanders mourns the loss of a bright student done in by an abusive background. Gabe's father, remorseful for mistakes of his own that led his son to self- destruct, teeters on the edge of losing his two-year, self- enforced sobriety. Through such perspectives, a complex portrait emerges: a young man with potential who could have conquered his past with the one break no one gave him. The events unfold in orderly fashion, each chapter featuring the distinctive first- person reflections of one of many characters, transporting readers into the heart of this multifaceted tragedy. Provocative suspense of a different color—not whodunit, or why, or how, but what now? (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-689-31772-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1992
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