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Reading age
8-12
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Publication date
June 28, 2022
A compelling story of eighth-graders (Evan, Jason, Mitchell, CJ, and Ricky) who discovered a strange trapdoor after a Hurricane tore their town.
Evan is forced to take care of an intelligent boy named Ricky, whose room is damaged by Hurricane Leo. Evan brings Ricky and his best friends to see if their fort is still standing. Unfortunately, it didn’t, but Ricky found something way better than their former fort: an underground bomb shelter from the Cold War.
The boys use the shelter to escape their problems, but could they hide it well from their problems and the wrong hands?
I loved the silly gang; they complement each other, and the crew is the sweetest of friends. I love how all the main characters are boys (which is rare nowadays), and their humor is hilarious. I snickered inwardly about their wackiness.
I like that the base (the secret shelter) is a protective bubble for the boys to escape their real-life problems. This book tackled the subject of OCD and other hardships, which was interesting.
Though some parts are a bit dark at times and send chills down my spine when our heroes face a difficult obstacle. I always feel relieved when the heroes overcome these challenges!
Once again, Korman Gordon provided us with fantastic realistic fiction that helps to build empathy for the characters. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a deep, humor-infused novel.
My rating
About the author
“Gordon Korman is the beloved author of over one hundred novels for young readers, including hilarious middle-grade classics such as the Macdonald Hall series, I Want to Go Home and Slacker. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gordon grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, and now lives in New York with his family.” – Book Depository.
More by the author
- Linked
- Unplugged
- Restart
- War Stories
- Jingle (Swindle #8); please read my review here.
