From School Library Journal
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Gr 5-8–“Dad had a . Mom was letting us eat in the den.
Could there be any clearer signs that the end of the world was
approaching?” During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Scott's her
builds a bomb shelter in their backyard. Most of the neighbors
ridicule the idea, but the day the bombs do go off, those same
neighbors try desperately to get into the shelter. A few of them
do get in, along with Scott's family, while the rest perish
outside. The extra people, along with the lack of supplies, make
for ed, uncomfortable conditions, and tempers flare. They
might be safe now, but what awaits them if they ever leave? The
chapters alternate between the current conditions in the shelter
and the months leading up to the bombs dropping. Before, Scott
lives a normal sixth-grader's life, but in the back of everyone's
minds are the worries about the Russians and their nuclear
missiles. Scott's friend Ronny challenges him to some
neighborhood mischief, justifying it with, “We might not be here
tomorrow.” Eventually Scott and Ronny have a knock-down fight,
stopping only when Scott's her pulls them apart. At the end of
the story, the shelter's inhabitants leave to find what's left of
their world. The alternating chapters might be confusing at
first, but it doesn't take long to get into the rhythm. Enough
background about the time period is woven into the story so
children unfamiliar with the Cuban Missile Crisis will have a
basic knowledge of what happened. A well-written, compelling
story with an interesting twist on how history might have turned
out.–Diana Pierce, formerly at Leander High School, TXα(c)
Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 )
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Inspired by the summer of 1962 when his family built a bomb
shelter, Strasser’s alternate-history novel about the Cuban
missile crisis is a suspenseful, quietly emotional account of the
unthinkable: nuclear war. Eleven-year-old Scott is the only kid
on the block with a bomb shelter. Though the neighborhood kids
tease, while their parents act disdainful, when the sirens sound,
they mob the shelter and force their way in. After a furious
struggle, during which Scott’s mother is seriously injured, the
shelter is sealed with 10 people inside, 6 more than planned for
and with many more left outside. As time passes and the supplies
dwindle, grief, guilt, and fear turn the relationships among the
adults ugly, even sparking talks of who should be put out.
Strasser nicely contrasts this oppressive life, where Scott
becomes aware of adult conflicts, with his innocence during the
weeks leading up to the bomb. The titular fallout isn’t just the
environmental aftermath of the nuclear bomb but the survivors’
emotional devastation, believably filtered through Scott’s
sensitive but well-rendered child’s perspective. Grades 5-8.
--Krista Hutley
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Review
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“Exciting, harrowing … This is a superb entertainment …
It thrums along with finely wrought atmosphere and gripping
suspense… Strasser, a prolific writer for children and
teenagers, writes with purpose and economy and structures his
book intelligently.” -- THE NEW YORK TIMES
A gripping and superbly constructed novel... There's not a word
out of place in this evocative book. --- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The titular fallout isn't just the environmental aftermath of the
nuclear bomb but the survivors' emotional devastation, believably
filtered through Scott's sensitive but well-rendered child's
perspective. --- BOOKLIST
Strasser once again combines terrific suspense with thoughtful
depth... This riveting examination of things important to a boy
suddenly thrust into an adult catastrophe is un-put-down-able.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
An eye-opening "what if" scenario about the human response to
disaster.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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About the Author
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Todd Strasser is the author of more than 140 novels for
children and teens, most notably The Wave, which is taught in
classrooms around the world. He lives in New York.
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