From School Library Journal Grade 7 Up–Most readers will have high expectations from the creator of The Face on the Milk Carton (1991) and the Out of Time series (both Random), but they might be a little disappointed in this offering. Mitty Blake is a talented but underachieving student in advanced biology at a New York City private high school. He is more interested in his friend Olivia than in completing his infectious-disease report, which could keep him from flunking. When he discovers a smallpox scab in an envelope in an old medical book, his research takes a somewhat urgent turn as he tries to determine whether he has contracted the disease. Searching for information on the Internet (thankfully, the high-achieving Olivia knows how to use a library), he inadvertently alerts a terrorist group to his situation. They kidnap Mitty with the intention of using him as a human biological weapon against the people of New York. This should be a highly suspenseful story, but the pacing is often slow and the characters underdeveloped. Even in this day and age, the terrorist angle seems far-fetched, and this underachiever's heroic efforts at the end seem out of character for him. Cooney's fans will undoubtedly read this book, but it doesn't meet the standards set in some of her young adult classics.–Courtney Lewis, Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School, Kingston, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product Description Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy–he didn’t worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his Advanced Bio report. Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in–if he doesn’t, he’ll be switched out of Advanced Bio, which would be unfortunate since Olivia’s in Advanced Bio. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family’s weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the books, the report is no longer about the grade–it’s about life and death. His own. This edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave you breathless. From Booklist *Starred Review* Gr. 6-9. In top, utterly terrifying form, Cooney leads a gregarious New York City teenager to a century-old sample of smallpox scabs. As dedicated to avoiding study as he is to getting closer to classmate Olivia, Mitty is oblivious to the danger he, she, and everyone else in the crowded city is in from his possible exposure to this hyper-contagious, utterly devastating disease--until he starts looking into smallpox for a school project. Drawing from several medical resources, which she lists at the end, Cooney lays out the illness's history and symptoms in precise, gruesome detail as a horrified Mitty writhes on the horns of a dilemma: Is the virus still active? Can he find a way to prevent an epidemic if it is? Should he tell the authorities, and look like a total dork if it isn't? Then, in a heartstopping twist, Mitty is kidnapped by terrorists intent on using him as a biological weapon. Readers won't soon forget either the profoundly disturbing premise of this page-turner or its likable, ultimately heroic slacker protagonist. John Peters Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Caroline B. Cooney is the bestselling and award-winning author of numerous books for young people. She lives in Westbrook, Connecticut, and New York City. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One On Friday, Mr. Lynch walked around the classroom making sure everybody had written down the due date in their assignment books. Luckily, he started at the far side, giving Mitty Blake time to whisper to his best friend, "Due date for what?" "Notes for the term paper," whispered Derek. "The one
Code Orange
#ad
Author: Cooney, Caroline B.
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780385732598
Details:
Author: Cooney, Caroline B.
Binding: Hardcover
Number Of Pages: 208
Release Date: 27-09-2005
Part Number: 20-12267
Package Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches Languages: English
EAN: 9780385732598
