Code Orangeby Caroline B. Cooney
When people in America think about terrorist attacks, they might reflect on events that are occurring in the Middle East. Car bombings and roadside bombs seem to be daily occurrences. Visions of the World Trade Center will always be a reminder of the vulnerability of terrorist attacks in the United States. Many people may not consider the threat of an attack by means of other types of weapons of mass destruction. These new weapons can devastate thousands, if not millions of people and produce fear in the population. Unlike bombings, these new weapons leave the countries infrastructure intact. The weapon that Caroline Cooney writes about in her book is Small Pox
Michael Blake is not what you would call a motivated student. He goes to a private school for the very rich and very smart. According to Mitty (his nickname) he's not there for the smart reasons. While trying to do the bare minimum for a research paper, Mitty comes across a small envelop in an old medical book his mom collected. In the envelope are scabs from a 1902 small pox outbreak that killed thousands of people. Now that Mitty has been exposed to the small pox virus, his motivation to do his research takes on new meaning.
With the help of his friend Olivia, Mitty begins to understand the history of this deadly disease he is carrying and he only has 14 days to figure out what he is going to do before he becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction in New York City.
Carolin Cooney keeps the reader growing in concern for Mitty's future as he has to decide how he can keep the disease for the girl he is growing to love and the city he has always loved. Throw in a few terrorists who want to use Mitty for a weapon of mass destruction of their own, and Cooney will have you on the edge of your seat to the last page of the book.
