“The Compound”
By S. A. Bodeen
(Teen fiction)
Eli’s father is a ruthless billionaire who is obsessed with all things nuclear. He has taught Eli and his twin brother, Eddy, about nuclear warfare and nuclear testing since they were little.
Eli’s father is so obsessed, in fact, that he built an elaborate underground compound to protect his family should the United States ever face a nuclear attack. Once the door locks in the compound, they are shut in with enough supplies to last for 15 years. Eli’s father has planned every detail and has spared no expense in building the compound.
While on a camping trip, Eli’s father gets word of an incoming attack and the family runs through the dark and the woods towards the compound. They make it though the compound door with not a minute to spare. After the door is shut and locked into place, Eli realizes that his grandmother isn’t with them. Then, he realizes that Eddy didn’t make it either.
Six years pass and Eli is still coping with losing his brother. Despite his misery, he and his sisters have kept up with their school studies and life inside the compound has become routine. Then Eli begins to realize that their food stores will not last the full 15 years and that things on the outside may not be as bad as they thought.
It’s time to open the compound door and find out, but Eli’s father won’t let that happen.
“Shift”
By Jennifer Bradbury
(Teen fiction)
Chris and Win (short for Winston) have been friends since elementary school. They have been best friends for almost that long. Win is considered a member of the family at Chris’ house, but Win’s house is not that welcoming of either boy.
Unlike Chris’s very involved parents, Win’s parents are rich and distracted. His mother is more interested in her social calendar than her son’s life and his father wants Win to carry on the family legacy of ruthless manipulation and unchallenged power regardless of what Win wants.
The boys decide that the day after their high-school graduation they will head out on a cross country bike ride, traveling from their homes in West Virginia all the way to Win’s uncle’s house in Seattle. Their parents reluctantly agree to let them go, but Chris’ parents make them promise to call twice a week to check in and assure them (mostly Chris’ mom) that they’re not lying in a ditch somewhere.
At first, the trip is everything the boys hoped it would be. They challenge themselves physically, their friendship strengthens and they are having one adventure after another. Things turn sour towards then end of the trip even though neither Win nor Chris will admit it. Finally, one morning, Win leaves Chris behind. Chris tries to find Win for days, but he ends up catching a bus and going home without Win by his side. Now, Chris is in his first semester of college and Win still hasn’t come home. He hasn’t called. He hasn’t written. Nothing. Win’s father believes that Chris knows more than he’s telling and uses all of his power to send an FBI agent to hound Chris at school and makes moves to get Chris’ dad fired from his job.
Is Win hiding somewhere in the middle of the country from his less than loving family? Is he dead? Has he been kidnapped? Chris has to find out before his life and the lives of his parents are ruined.
Cari Boatright Rérat is the teen librarian at Joplin Public Library.
Globe Life
Related Photos
Discussion
Book review: Nuclear fears prompt retreat into ‘Compound’
- Globe Life
-
-
Students add vision to collaborative exhibit
In a “secret room” upstairs at Spiva Center for the Arts, an art project began last week that won’t be finished for 18 more days. That’s because it is being created by more than 1,100 artists.
-
Cari Rerat: Pair of graphic novels tell tales of heroism
Witty banter, blood-soaked violence, and old-school sound effects make this one of the most fun graphic novels I’ve read in a long time.
-
Frankie Meyer: Celebrity genealogy hunt makes return to TV
At last, my favorite series is returning for its third season. “Who Do You Think You Are?” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fridays.
-
Frankie Meyer: Church minutes can provide details about ancestors
As you compile your family history, you will often learn the name of the church that an ancestor attended. Novice researchers sometimes ignore that type of detail, not realizing that church records can provide details that blast through the brick walls of research.
-
Phyllis Seesengood: Prequel takes Jack Reacher book series back in time
“The Affair,” by Lee Child, is the 16th book in the series of Jack Reacher thrillers and is a prequel to the other books. It takes us back in time to March 1997, where we learn valuable information about Reacher’s background and his reasons for leaving the military.
-
B-easy does it
Chris Watson, a Pittsburg State University graduate and Kansas native, was visiting a local video store when he stumbled across three horror movies he’d either produced, directed, directly written or co-written over the last eight years.
-
Book highlights opposites in animal kingdom
Even in science opposite attract. It’s the opposite ends of a magnet that attract. Don’t try to connect the south poles on two magnets, because it’s not going to work. Opposites attract.
-
Cemetery research can yield details about family
Through cemetery research, family history researchers can learn details such as names of spouses and children, military service, hobbies and religious preference, as well as the date and location of birth, marriages and death.
-
Art class helps kids deal with feelings from tornado
And while this innovative program received national attention -- thanks to the Joplin-based episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Jan. 13 -- Bourne’s mobile arts center, dedicated to the growth and healing of children through art, had been up and running long before the EF-5 tornado suddenly spiraled out of the clouds.
-
Danya Walker: Non-fiction work examines history’s infamous mistresses
Many times, the cover and title of a book promises a much more risque read than is actually delivered. “Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman” by Elizabeth Abbott is one such book.
- More Globe Life Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
