The Compound By S.A. Bodeen

On a present day summer night in the state of  Washington, Eli’s family, whose father is billionaire Rex Yanakakis, get word of a nuclear attack while they are camping on their campground, which is 3,000 acres.  Being the family of Rex Yanakakis means you can take shelter in his multi-million dollar compound on the campground.  Once they get in The Compound, they realize that they forgot Eli’s twin Eddy, and their grandmother, but it is too late, and they are to take shelter there for 15 years, while still maintaining all of their necessities and still living in luxury.  Six years pass, the food supply is slowly beginning to run out, and Eli, accompanied by his two sisters Terese and Lexi, along with his mother, begin to wonder if there a nuclear attack ever occurred.  He has even been in contact with someone on the internet who says he is Eddy!  While this happens, Eli grows as a character.  Eli was not really a likeable character because he was mean, selfish, and isolated himself once he had lived in The Compound for a while.  His blonde hair was even grown out to maintain the isolation.  As the book reaches its climax, he became kinder, less selfish, and cut his hair, and lost his isolation, so by the end of the book, I liked Eli.  I would recommend this S.A. Bodeen realistic fiction book to anyone who is ten or older because the storyline is complicated, and the subject of nuclear war is a mature and heavy topic.  Will Eli and his family escape?  Is this imprisonment plotted by Eli’s father.  Was there ever a nuclear war?  You can answer these questions and more by reading The Compound by S.A. Bodeen.

Book Talk By:  Sebastian B.

Language Arts Teacher :  Mrs. Poulton            

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech is an absolute must-read!!It is about a girl named Zinnie who is 13 years old.Zinnie has a large family which consists of her 3 sisters,her 3 brothers,her aunt,uncle, mom,dad,and herself.Zinnie is constantly being mistaken for her other siblings.When Zinnie finds an overgrown trail is her backyard,she starts to uncover the trail and the secrets beneath it.Zinnie realizes that uncovering the trail might be her one shot to get people to notice her,for who she is.
    The main character of this book was Zinnie Taylor.Zinnie was a very shy,quiet girl.Zinnie changes throughout the book because in the beginning,Zinnie is quiet and shy,and in the middle,Zinnie is more confident. Towards the end,Zinnie is confident and she talks more.I liked Zinnie alot because she reminded me of myself.Like Zinnie,I am quiet. My reason for being quiet is the same as Zinnie's.Not because I don't have anything to say,just because I like listening.
     I would recommend ths book to any person who likes books with action,mystery,and a hint of drama,because this book is chock full of action,because of the things that happen on the trail,a bit of drama(between Zinnie and her sister),and mystery(because of her uncle and his strange behavior).Overall,this book was amazing!

By Smriti N.
Mrs.Poulton

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

I just finished The Wednesday Wars. What a great book! The story takes place in 1967 during Holling Hoodgood's 7th grade year. On Wednesday afternoons, everyone else in his class leaves early for religious school and he is left alone with Mrs. Baker who he is convinced hates him. The story follows these two characters and their lives through the year.

This is a great novel because it has some humor, some touching parts, some baseball, and a little bit of romance. You get a good idea of what is was like to grow up in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. If you read it and like it, try Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt which is based on Doug Swieteck, a character from The Wednesday Wars.

Mrs. Gallagher