Jory, a 5th grade boy, has a step father who tells his family to watch the sky for signs. It's an unusual family: mom is nervous, father is paranoid, sister just showed up in a pumpkin patch and doesn't talk, and baby brother is father's pride. Caleb, the father, has spent time in the military and runs his family with some of the same rules. They keep to themselves, wear combat boots and cargo pants all the time, stockpiling supplies, and are digging a tunnel in the middle of the night.
Jory attends public school but keeps to himself until he becomes friends with a girl in his class. He begins to experience friendship, fun, and freedom. But, he begins to let some secrets slip and the authorities come to the door to investigate. This sign tell the father it is time to take action.
This book started as a short story according to the author's notes. It feels like a short story that has been expanded. When I read a short story, I don't expect that the ending will tie everything up neatly and this book ends that way. I wanted to know so much more and yet, the haunting ending tells me that I can guess what happens. The story draws you in and when I only had a few pages left, I was concerned because I wanted everything to be explained and that seemed to be pages away. But it did end and yet it didn't feel like another book had to follow it as a sequel.
I recommend this book for grades 5-7. My score is a 3 out of 4.
- Age Range: 8 - 12 years
- Grade Level: 3 - 7
- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (April 7, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1484708334
- ISBN-13: 978-1484708330
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