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Thursday, July 14, 2016
Fallout by Todd Strasser
It's the summer of 1962 and the threat of war is looming. Scott is in grade 6. Old enough to know that things are serious but young enough that his parents don't share the extent of it with him. Fallout is told by Scott's point of view with the time frame flipping from before the bomb and after the bomb.
Scott's dad has built a bomb shelter for their home. His mother and all the neighbours think he's crazy. There won't be a bomb. Readers quickly discover that there has been a bomb though. Scott's dad isn't so crazy anymore! All the neighbours rush to fit into a shelter that has been built for a family of four. Soon the shelter door is shut and now ten neighbours must survive two weeks with only enough supplies for four people.
Before the bomb is built Scott has normal young boy worries such as getting in trouble for dumb ideas that his best friend Ronnie ropes him into. Ronnie's next big plan is that before Scott is killed by a bomb he needs to see a woman's breasts.
I really enjoyed Fallout. Perfect for grade 6-8. However, not a great read allowed due to Ronnie's obsession with breasts. There is also some under age drinking. No bad language though.