Survive the Dome

Gr 9 Up–“Journalists often ask questions to get to the truth.” Jamal nervously and excitedly attends a protest against police brutality as a high school journalist, anticipating grabbing a few stellar photos for his college applications. Almost immediately, Jamal is put in an uncomfortable position with a cop at the event, where he meets an older student, Marco, who belongs to a secret society and has inside knowledge about the protest. Suddenly, the protest and surrounding city of Baltimore are cast under a mysterious dome that disables technology and traps the protestors. Orchestrated by the governor, the dome is intended to promote “law and order,” though this approach may incite more violence than it prevents. Jamal and Marco now must fight for their freedom and lives. Combining contemporary and science fiction with a hint of the thriller genre, Jackson has created a stunning future United States in which technology is being used to control people and heighten racial tensions. Jackson brings together Black Lives Matter with an influence of the Hunger Games to ask questions such as: “Who deserves freedom?” and “Who is a criminal?” Teen readers will enjoy the social commentary and puzzling through those questions as they see representations of racial and LGBTQIA+ diversity.