The Chamber of Five

Gr 10 Up—Jason Weatherby is a rich kid. He attends a prestigious school for the gifted, and his father is a congressman. Only Jason isn't gifted, and neither are any of the other members of the elite group of five boys who run the school. The Chamber is a powerful springboard to prestigious colleges and powerful positions. Carter Logan is its cruel, and some would say sadistic, leader. He uses his position to force members to do unspeakable things to other students to get their compliance or to get them kicked out of the school. He makes a girl strip to the waist, and he forces one boy to perform oral sex while photos are taken to spread around campus. Jason wants none of it, but the repercussions for noncompliance could be too great and his abusive father is siding with The Chamber. Now things are turning even more ugly and violent, and Jason becomes determined to bring down the group and expose it for what it is. This book is gritty and powerful, and will have readers transfixed. The short chapters, fascinating characters, and page-turning action makes this book an excellent choice for reluctant readers.—Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO