Synopses & Reviews
Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and theyve become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. No amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary—and their sanity—Eli cant help but wonder if hed rather take his chances outside. Elis father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe—really? The Compound is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Review
* “A high-wire act of a first novel, a thriller that exerts an ever-tighter grip on readers. . . . The audience will feel the pressure closing in on them as they, like the characters, race through hairpin turns in the plot toward a breathless climax.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Debut novelist Bodeen effectively builds the claustrophobic suspense with each chapter as readers slowly discover the Compound is not the refuge it seems. Combining elements of Margaret Peterson Haddixs Running Out of Time (1995) and Kazuo Ishiguros Never Let Me Go (2005), published for adults, this post-apocalyptic thriller will also pique the interest of Nancy Werlin and L.J. Adlington fans.”—Booklist
“Suspenseful and riveting, this debut novel raises serious issues about what it means to survive.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Plot drives this book from the start to the rousing climax and surprise resolution. Humor will engage readers' interest while the ever-increasing suspense will keep it."—Kirkus Reviews
"The ecological theme and the trendy device of investing a teen with superpowers will doubtless please the author's many fans."—Booklist
"Will sit especially well with readers who prefer their speculative fiction to be character-driven, and they'll appreciate the compelling exploration of the ways the hopeful can cope with uncertainty."—The Bulletin
"Characterization sparkles."—VOYA
Synopsis
S.A. Bodeen's The Compound is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. No amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary--and their sanity--Eli can't help but wonder if he'd rather take his chances outside. Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe--really?
Synopsis
Elis father built the Compound to keep their family safe. Now, they cant get out. He wont let them.
Synopsis
Elis father built the Compound to keep their family safe. Now, they cant get out. He wont let them.
Synopsis
Something bad is happening to the world. Trees are dying. Cancer is on the rise and becoming more aggressive. Kesla saw that first hand as she watched her father die from the disease. Science offers no answers.
Then fifteen-year-old Kelsa meets a boy. He's the most beautiful boy she's ever seen, but he's also very strange. He claims to be Raven, the mythological creature. He keeps going on about magic and an impending ecological disaster and insisting the Kelsa must help him save the world.
Maybe he's crazy.
Or maybe he's telling her truths people have forgotten. And maybe she should help him, even if doing so means risking her own life.
Synopsis
In a high-tech, high-security world where bioterrorism threatens to cripple the ecosystem, magic is the last thing on anyones mind. Something bad is happening to the world. Trees are dying. Cancer is on the rise and becoming more aggressive. When Kelsas father dies of the disease, science offers no answers. Then, fifteen-year-old Kelsa meets the most beautiful boy shes ever seen. But hes also very strange. Claiming to be a mythological Raven, he goes on about magic, impending ecological disaster, and his need for Kelsas help to save the world.
Maybe hes crazy. But what if hes telling the truth?
About the Author
S.A. Bodeen is the author of The Gardener and several picture books, including Elizabetis Doll, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award. The Compound earned her an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults, a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, and a Publishers Weekly "Flying Start." Bodeen grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Her first friends were cows, which she named after characters in books. From there she went on to be a Peace Corps volunteer in East Africa, and has lived in seven states, as well as a remote Pacific island. She adores books and is a big fan of cheese. She lives in Oregon.