by Dan Smith
Chicken House
2017
288 pages
ISBN: 9781338065640
Available February 28, 2017
Kdnapped, drugged, and transported to a remote location, Ash wakes up in a bed surrounded by stark white walls. He remembers bits and pieces of being kidnapped along with his mother, and he begins searching this hospital (prison?) for her. The place is deserted and Ash cannot find any clues about where he is until he sees the view from the front doors. It looks like he is stuck in the middle of a jungle somewhere. Ash exits the doors, goes into the forest and sees a girl about his age. She tells him he is on Isla Negra, Black Island, and that her father works inside the BioSphere (the building he woke up in). Ash and Isobel go inside to search for her father and Ash's mother.
Gunshots ring out, a helicopter crashes, the building is sealed, and their parents are locked inside of a lab. There they were exposed to Kronos, a poison that will kill them in 24 hours unless they get the antidote. Ash feels strange and disoriented. He has a heightened sense of smell and hearing. Ash is changing, and he's not the only one.
Ash is determined to save his mother's life but he'll need the help of Isobel to cross the island, find the thieves, steal the poison back along with the antidote, and stay alive long enough to deliver it to BioSphere and save his mother and Isobel's father.
What is BioSphere and why is Ash's mother involved? What happened to Ash when he was unconscious? And who wants to change him?
Fast pacing and non-stop action make this a must read for reluctant readers. Each chapter shows a clock showing hours and minutes left that the kids have to get the poison and cure. Readers will feel on edge as Ash races to save the world and his mother.
Highly recommended for action and adventure junkies. Anyone who loves a medical mystery/government cover up story will love Boy X.
Grades 4-8.
FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
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