The Lost Code

July 9, 2012
Emerson (Carlos Is Gonna Get It) launches the Atlanteans series with a novel that blends post-apocalyptic, SF, and paranormal elements into a summer camp story. In a future in which climate change has rendered most of the planet uninhabitable, teenage Owen has gotten a rare scholarship to Camp Eden, where privileged kids and survivors of cryogenic freezing can experience a simulation of the biosphere of old. When he almost drowns, he discovers the camp's hidden secret: Owen and a handful of others (including his crush, Lilly) have developed gills and can breathe underwater. Owen is thrilled by his new abilities and sense of belonging, but when a child at the camp dies under mysterious circumstances, it becomes apparent that something sinister is occurring at Camp Eden. As Owen and friends attempt to figure out who to trust, they uncover more conspiracies about both the camp and the state of the world. Emerson throws perhaps a little too much into the book, but the high-stakes narrative moves forward with momentum, and a romance between Owen and Lilly is gracefully unveiled. Ages 13âup. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic.

July 1, 2012

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

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.