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Starred Review The Bunker Diary

  • Interest Level: Grade 8 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 7

I can’t believe I fell for it.
It was still dark when I woke up this morning.
As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was.
A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete.
There are six little rooms along the main corridor.
There are no windows. No doors. The elevator is the only way in or out.
What’s he going to do to me?
What am I going to do?

People are really quite simple, and they have simple needs. Food, water, light, space, privacy. Maybe a small measure of dignity. A bit of freedom. What happens when someone simply takes all that away?

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5415-7760-2
 $12.99
978-1-4677-7686-8
 $23.99
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Interest Level Grade 8 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 7
Genre Young Adult
Copyright 2015
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Lab ®
Language English
Number of Pages 264
Publication Date 2015-03-01
Reading Counts! Level 6.2
Text Type Fiction—Mystery
BISACS YAF001000, YAF058120, YAF058170
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.0625 x 7.8125
Lexile 540
ATOS Reading Level 4.0
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 171391
Accelerated Reader® Points 8.0
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Awards, Reviewed, and Starred Reviews

Awards

  • Louisiana Teen Choice Award Nominee, Nominated, 2016
  • Notable Award YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults, Winner, 2016
  • Notable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner, 2016
  • Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week, Winner, 2015
  • Tayshas Reading List, Winner, 2015
  • Notable Award Booklist Editor's Choice, Winner, 2015
  • New York Public Library Best Books for Teens, Winner, 2015

Reviews

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Reviewed on 1 June 2015

“Brooks is messy, angry, and nihilistic. . . . There’s no easy out or absolution, but that’s going to interest readers.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Publishers Weekly

Reviewed on 5 January 2015

“Relentlessly bleak, this recent Carnegie Medal–winner fascinates, provokes, and horrifies as Brooks (iBoy) stays true to his nihilistic aims, pushing readers toward an inexorable conclusion.” —Publishers Weekly

Starred Review Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed on 15 December 2014

“Brooks’ latest is not an easy novel, but it’s one that begs for rereading to suss the intricacies of its construction of plot, character development and insight into the human condition.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review Booklist

Reviewed on 1 December 2014

“[The Bunker Diary] is for everyone, playing just as well as can’t-stop-reading entertainment as it does an allegorical passage into darkness.” —starred, Booklist

Starred Review School Library Journal

Reviewed on 1 December 2014

“A unique choice that will get teens talking.” —starred, School Library Journal