The Compound

By S.A. Bodeen
Ages 12+
In a burst of panic about a nuclear attack, Eli, his sisters, and his parents move into an underground bunker built by Eli's billionaire father. It's an enormous complex. Only his grandmother and twin brother, Eddie, don't make it in. The first six years of the planned 15 have been fairly routine, but now some food has spoiled, and certain things just don't seem right, or even possible. Eli, who is now 15,  is starting to have doubts about his father's motives, explanations, and sanity.

The novel becomes full of tension and suspense and turns into a true edge-of-the-seat thriller. As far-fetched as the premise may be, Bodeen keeps Eli's actions true to life and uses clues planted fairly and in plain sight. The audience will feel the pressure closing in on them as they, like the characters, race through hairpin turns in the plot toward a breathless climax.

The reader will feel connected to Eli's character even though he is a spoiled, self-centered child. As the years pass, Eli is full of teen angst and anger that develops into a realization of what he must do in order to help his family survive. He may even find that he loves his family--something he never thought he would admit.

Tunnel in the Sky By Robert A. Heinlein

The final exam for Dr. Matson's Advanced Survival class was meant to be just that: only a test. But something has gone terribly wrong...and now Rod Walker and his fellow students are stranded somewhere unknown in the universe, beyond contact with Earth, at the other end of a tunnel in the sky. Stripped of all comforts, hoping for apassage home that may never appear, the castaways must band together or perish. For Rod and his fellow survivors, this is one test where failure is not an option....

I was skeptical reading the first couple chapters of this book because, normally I would not just pick up a science fiction novel to read. However, what a surprise as I continued to read further in this novel the more I loved it. It was a book published back in 1955 but, could easily happen today. In reading the book I could picture what it was like to be one of the characters stranded in this unknow place with only limited reasources to use to survive. I definetly was hooked into this page turner of a novel and was rooting for Rod Walker and the rest to survive thier test and make it back alive. This was a great read and a perfect book for a book discussion!