The Lost Code

Gr 8–10—In a postapocalyptic world in which water is scarce and sunlight kills, privileged teenagers still enjoy the opportunity to attend summer camps. These camps are set up in giant domes that protect the inhabitants from radioactivity and allow everyone within to pretend that everything is fine. Owen is a poor kid from Hub whose father entered him into a drawing, and Owen won. During a swim on his second day of camp, Owen drowns… but he doesn't die. Instead, he begins to change in unexplainable ways, and he soon learns that he's not the only one. When he begins to talk to some of the other campers, he learns that over the years, students have vanished and their disappearances have been conveniently explained by the staff. He also learns that the dome is beginning to fail. This book examines a postapocalyptic world from a different perspective, because all the action takes place in a setting that closely resembles any summer camp one might visit today. However, underneath the varnish of swimming holes, archery ranges, and mess halls, there is the truth that the Earth is dying. Owen is an awkward teen-not a natural hero. Even though his body is metamorphosing into something strange and he's being called to fulfill an ancient quest, he's still a self-conscious guy, trying to get the girl to like him. The ending of the book leaves plenty of room for the sequel, and readers will likely be intrigued enough to continue.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO