Code Orange was an exciting book. I think this would be novel that would capture the interest of readers from grades sixth through ninth. The main character in Code Orange is Mitty Blake, an affluent New York City teen who cares more about socializing and listening to music than achieving academic success at his private prep school. All this changes when Mitty becomes engrossed in a project on infectious diseases. Mitty decides to do his project on smallpox when he discovers a sampling of smallpox sores in an old medical text that his mother found at an estate sale. During his study of smallpox he begins to be afraid that he could have contracted the virus from the sores. His life beings to spiral out of control because he fears that he is bringing back this devastating epidemic. While looking for answers online he attracts the attention of a group of bioterrorists, who kidnap him and wait to see if he contracts the virus. While the plot of this novel is extremely hard to believe, it captures your attention in such a way that you are willing to go along with the seemingly implausible events. I thought it was fun and exciting to read, and I learned a lot about the history of smallpox and broadened my knowledge of viruses in general.tThe primary use of this book would be to encourage reluctant readers. If the librarian were to do a quick book talk on this book, it would be hard to keep on the shelf. While girls would definitely enjoy this book, it would also be very appealing to male readers. The main character is a young man, and there is an exciting fight scene when Mitty tries to flee from the terrorists. Also, because of the solid facts that run throughout the story, it would be a way for a biology teacher to create more interest around a unit on viruses. If the teacher read a bit of a chapter at the beginning or end of class it could help spark some interesting discussion about viruses and bioterrorism.tCode Orange was a bit frightening because the descriptions of the horrors of smallpox were quite accurate, and there is some violent content at the end of the story. Despite these elements, I do think it would be appropriate for the age that it was intended. This book was well reviewed, and across the board all reviewers agreed that this was an engaging, “page turner”. The reviewer from Booklist thought that the topic of this book was at times “profoundly disturbing” and would be a book that readers “wouldn’t soon forget”.
Sydney Kate GrubbBook ReviewCode Orange Code Orange is a thrilling book that kept me on the edge of my seat. The main character, Mitty, in this fictional story wasn't the best student in school and tried to hide his earbuds as he jammed out to music in the back of the classroom. When his teacher gave him the assignment of researching a disease, he was annoyed and didn't even want to attempt it. I felt his pain when his teacher required that actual books be cited in order to "…prevent you people from doing a hundred percent of your research online" (Clooney 2). Mitty visits his distant family and finds some old, dusty medical books. Inside, he discovers scabs from a smallpox patient, from the variola major epidemic in the year 1902. This interested and captivated him. He decided to research smallpox. As Mitty discovers facts about this terrifying disease, the reader learns a lot as well, which is why I believe the author's main purpose is to inform her audience with an exciting, yet educational novel. Caroline B. Clooney does a great job of finding the perfect balance between a pleasurable and an academic read. I was never bored while reading and always curious to find out what would happen next. The only weakness, to me, was that I never really felt very connected to the characters. The author didn't write Code Orange in a way that made me fall in love with the people in the story. To find out just what happens when Mitty believes that he, himself, contracted smallpox from the scabs found in the old book, read Code Orange. I would definitely recommend this book to others. It is a quick read that will hook you from the beginning.
What do You think about Code Orange (2005)?
OK, so I had to read this for my Language Arts class and it probably my least favorite book I've ever to read. It's not so horrible that's it's funny, which is actually the worst part. Let me summarize:Mitty (Mitchell) Blake lives in Manhattan in an apartment with his parents. At first, the story starts outs probably like any ordinary young-adult, sci-fi/virus novel: A lazy teenage boy has a crush on the brainy and beautiful Olivia, and has (literally) one other friend, Derek. Mitty goes to his
—Sonia Koehler
Mitty has only one reason to pay attention to his classwork: Olivia; a classmate who shares a mutual interest in him. Usually, Mitty laughs zones out to teacher lectures (in favor of listening to his i-Pod) and laughs off assignments. Things change when his biology teacher assigns a paper about infectious diseases. Mitty comes across a 100 year-old book containing a mysterious envelope which, it turns out, is holding samples of scabs from the 1902 smallpox epidemic. When Mitty comes to terms with the seriousness of his discovery and realizes his handling of the scabs has put him, his city, his country and the world at risk, he frantically searches for a creative solution before he becomes infamous as the source of the deadly problem. But with the CDC, the FBI and terrorists hot on his trail, will he be able to keep himself together long enough to keep himself and the people around him alive? Code Orange ranks in my Top 10 reads of this school year. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys exciting, suspenseful page-turners! (195 pages)
—Mr. Z
This should have been the Indiana Young Hoosier winner for 2008. It has everything, mystery, suspense, gore, history....I love the fact that Cooney draws students into to this great story and then shows them the way to do research and the way NOT to do Research. Mitty is a procrastinator and is the epitome of a bright student with a lack of motivation to do his work properly. His girlfriend is the opposite, she is a dedicated, driven student that does above and beyond what is required. She is an exceptional student and reminds me of Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. The pair are both in an advanced science class, in which the teacher assigns a research paper on an infectious disease. Mitty being the procrastinator that his is waits until the last minute to begin his research notes. The only book he can find on his topic is an antique from the 1900s that his mother has collected for one of her clients. The book turns out to have been owned by a doctor that was dealing with treating small pox. Mitty comes into contact with scabs that were preserved in the book. An underlying component of this story deals with teens coping with living in New York after 9/11, dealing with the fear of other terrorist attacks. While I was somewhat annoyed with this, it was not didactic or moralistic. It didn't feel preachy or as if Cooney was trying to capitalize on the tragedy. This is probably due to the fact that she is a New Yorker.There are so many talking points in this book that I feel it would make a great book for a 8th or 9th grade English Classes, or even science for that matter.
—Kelly
