Time Bomb

January 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-Six students struggle to survive after a series of bombs explode and trap them in the war zone-like ruins of their high school. Featuring multiple perspectives, this riveting thriller explores the power of prejudice and assumptions through the lens of school violence. It's revealed early on that one of the survivors is also involved in the bombing. From the school's perfect Queen Bee to the tough-as-nails delinquent, each of the students has a different motive for being at school that day. Charbonneau builds suspense by subtly planting red herrings about the accomplice's identity while also raising questions about others. The frequent shifts in perspective allow readers to see beyond each character's stock exterior. While each one has a distinct voice, some narratives are more compelling than others. The most complex and developed character is Rashid, a Muslim teenager who feels he must compromise his family's ideals in order to make his school life easier. Other students are immediately suspicious of Rashid after the initial bomb. While the book confronts this racism head-on and another character is ultimately responsible, the narrative feels stereotypical and exploitative in its casting of Rashid as a would-be terrorist based on his race and religion alone. VERDICT A tense, fast-paced thriller that explores prejudice and stereotypes, sometimes insensitively, in the all-too-real setting of extreme violence at a high school.-Sophie Kenney, Vernon Area Public Library District, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2017
When a suburban high school is devastated by a bombing, a diverse group of teens gathers to find a way out. Minor connections pre-exist among the group: biracial (black/white) Tad is on the football team with the popular Frankie, a white boy, and the pair may be a little more than just friends. Latino Z has been pegged as the class ne'er-do-well; Palestinian-American Rashid, an observant Muslim, feels extra conspicuous now that his beard has started growing. Of course, everyone knows the white daughter of a U.S. senator, the perfectly popular Diana. The wildcard is olive-skinned Cassandra, the new kid in school. When word reaches the gang that the bomber may still be inside the building, tensions rise and the small bonds just being forged threaten to disintegrate. The third-person perspective shifts chapter to chapter, letting readers into each of the character's heads. Some of the characters are fuller than others (Z is frustratingly thin), but through their eyes the author lays out the geography of the school before the bombing and smartly paces the aftermath. Charbonneau makes the bold move of letting readers--though not all the characters--know who the bomber is right away. This pivots the suspense from a whodunit to a survival tale, and the author effectively charts the action, taking time to allow the kids to discuss current events and the perils of false assumptions.A keenly crafted thriller. (Thriller. 12-16)

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January 8, 2018
In a terrifying, timely thriller, six teens work together to survive after becoming trapped in their school following a bombing. Each member of the diverse group—congressman’s daughter Diana, biracial and newly out Tad, star athlete Frankie, socially awkward musician Cas, rebellious Z, and Rashid, who wants to be seen as more than just Muslim—has a personal reason for being at school before the semester starts, and it soon becomes clear that one of them is the bomber. Fragile alliances are formed and secrets are revealed, but distrust and paranoia undermine the group’s efforts to escape an increasingly deadly situation. In her attempt to maintain ambiguity and mystery regarding the bomber’s identity, Charbonneau (Need) withholds a great deal from readers at first, keeping characters’ motivations a mystery even when it doesn’t make sense to avoid them. However, the high-pressure environment, increasing tension, and enormous stakes make this a gripping story that touches on numerous stressors facing contemporary teens, including suicidal ideation, parental pressure to succeed, and religious profiling. It’s a powerful page-turner that doesn’t let up until its explosive finale. Ages 12–up. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson and Lerner.

aly_spoon675 - Imagine you went to school, and then suddenly a bomb went off? This is what six teenagers experienced as they went to their high school to prep for the school year at the end of summer. All six were innocently doing their own activity inside when... BOOM! A bomb exploded. In an instant many of the people who are in the school are killed and those six teenagers have to find a way to escape the real-life horror story in front of them. Time Bomb is a thrilling story that will chill you down to your bones. As Diana, Tad, Frankie, Cas, Z, and Rashid fight to stay alive as more bombs continue to shake their school, they must learn to trust each other and to have hope. Time Bomb will fill your head with anxious questions on who's alive and who did it. It is certainly a must-read!!!

February 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Summer is ending, which, for most students, means visits to school for new IDs or early sports practices. No one is expecting the bomb that goes off, devastating the school and trapping a group of students inside. Six students search for a way out: Diana, the perfect girl whose congressman father is pushing an unpopular privacy bill; Frankie, the golden-boy quarterback who hooked up with one of his teammates over the summer; Tad, half white and half black, determined to force Frankie to recognize their relationship; Cas, a clarinet player who can't stand another day trapped in her body; Rashid, a Muslim boy who's tired of being judged for his religion; and recently orphaned Z, trying to rescue a friend seriously injured in the explosion. The stakes are high enough, but the group soon realizes they have bigger problems: the bomber is one of them, and the danger is far from over. Charbonneau (Need, 2015) is no stranger to suspense, and this survival tale delivers. A thriller with a human heart that will have readers holding their breath. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Genre-hopping Charbonneau has a knack for dramatic tension, and this thriller will appeal to her existing fanbase.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)