Fallout

Gr 6 Up—In October of 1962, the unthinkable happens. As sirens warning of a nuclear attack sound through the night, Scott, his brother, and their parents rush into the fallout shelter that his father built over the summer. But they weren't expecting their neighbors to come scrambling in after them, demanding shelter as well. Now 10 people are crammed in a space meant for four with limited food, water, and other necessary supplies. As they argue, plan, and wonder what awaits them above ground, Scott remembers the events of the one golden summer before the attack. Narrator Jeff Cummings attempts to read the story with moderate success, though his voice for Scott makes the boy sound younger than his age. His female voices aren't much better. The story alternates chapters between life in the shelter and Scott's memories, but without clear distinctions designating which is which, giving the story a disjointed, confusing feel and causing it to lose much of the tension it might have in written form. Certain aspects are appropriate for tweens, though the story may be better appreciated by young teens. Only purchase where the book is popular.—Necia Blundy, formerly Marlborough Public Library, MA