Lockdown

At the end of the school year, one of my avid readers kept asking me, “Have you read it yet?” There was no way I was going back to school without having read Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith. Let me give you a little disclaimer about myself – I usually don't read scary books. I enjoy sleeping at night too much. All of my students know this about me and they often tease me because of it. Horror books are one of the most popular genres in middle school. Kids like to be scared! I’m so happy that this book was repeatedly recommended to me. I couldn’t put it down! Every relatively short chapter leaves you wanting to read what happens next. Alex Sawyer has been framed for the murder of his best friend. He is given life in prison at Furnace Penitentiary. This place is your worst nightmare. If the bad boys of the prison, the Skulls, don’t get you; most assuredly the dark creatures of the night will mark your cell and turn you into a horrific beast of destruction. Alex and his roommate, Donovan, have one goal…to escape. Did I mention that I didn’t sleep last night? Oh, but it was so worth it. Darren Shan, author of the Cirque du Freak and Demonata series, gives his endorsement – enough said!