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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Review: Quarantine by Lex Thomas

by:  Lex Thomas
published by:  Egmont USA
publish date:  July 10, 2012

It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.
In Quarantine, the military attempts to destroy the school in an effort to stop the spread of a virus when a test subject from a nearby lab escapes and runs into the school.  The virus is harmless to teenagers who are carriers of the virus, but instantly kills adults.  The whole school instantly gets placed on lockdown by the military, nobody gets out.

The school divides into to gangs for protection, like The Jocks and The Pretty Ones and The Sluts and The Freaks.  These gangs use any means necessary to protect themselves and get the resources they need.  This book doesn't pull any punches either.  It's dark and violent and goes places that not too many YA books will go.  The Sluts get their name for a reason. 

I did like this book.  I thought it was great change of pace in major disaster/apocalyptic genre.  I liked the male main characters for one.  The way the kids go so wild was really interesting, it was kinda like Lord of the Flies in a way. 

This was the first book in a series, so I will be looking out for the next one.  This book does deserve a parental warning.  It has some "mature themes" going on throughout the book.  Quarantine probably should stay with the 16+ crowd.

2 comments:

Jill the OWL said...

Sounds super interesting! I remember seeing this one when it came out. I'd like to read it, but if there's a group called The Sluts, not so sure I can put it in my classroom library. I'll need to read to find out!

Autumn said...

There are some topics dealing with rape and pornography...so I don't know if it would be classroom appropriate. That's why I suggested it might need a parental warning.