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The Compound


The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

"Eli’s father built the Compound to keep their family safe. Now, they can’t get out. He won’t let them."

Eli's Dad is a billionaire, and because of that his family has always had everything they ever wanted. His dad even built an underground bunker so they'd all be safe if the world ever came to an end. Then, one day, it does. His family flees to the bunker for safety and in the process loses Eli's twin brother and their grandma. Flash forward several years - the food is running out, the tension is running high, and something isn't quite right. Eli starts to make some unsettling discoveries about the life they left behind, but will he survive long enough to discover the truth?

The cons:

Though the story is fairly understandable and straight-forward, there's one element of the story (and I don't want to spoil it, so I won't get into specifics) that is treated in vague language and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The idea does come across by the end of the book, but for much of the story I think the readers are left to sort of fend for themselves on this topic and try to make sense of what they can. That was perhaps the intention, but I personally think it takes away from the flow of the plot and is somewhat jarring.

The pros:

This is a pretty easy read. It's short, easy to understand, and pretty adventurous. There's enough mystery to keep you going, but not so much that you get confused. Eli is easy to relate to without being boring. I think young people - and especially boys will really connect with this story. It's exciting and ends as mysteriously as it begins.

What next?

Other books by S. A. Bodeen -
The Gardener

Forts:

Make a wooden fort
Make a blanket fort
Build a fort step-by-step
Build an indoor fort

Emergency Preparedness for kids:

FEMA for kids (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Ready Kids
Emergency Prep for kids
Disaster Preparedness
How to survive a zombie apocalypse from the official Center for Disease Control webpage
Wilderness Survival for Kids
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I have a Master's Degree in Education, a love of kids and books, and a near-constant craving for brownies.

cool word of the week

Brobdignagiun - (brob-dig-NAJ-ee-un) huge, gigantic, extremely tall or large.

This word comes from the book "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Brobdignag is the mythical country inhabited by giants that Gulliver visits.

Our Brobdignagian substitute lumbered into the classroom like a giant tree that had suddenly discovered the ability to walk.

Also from Gulliver's Travels comes the word "Lilliputian" (lil-i-pew-shun) which is an antonym for Brobdignagian. Lilliput is the island where the tiny people live.

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