Firewall

by Sean Rodman

Overview

Josh deals with his problems by escaping into his favorite video game, but his virtual refuge is starting to get a little too real.

Josh is a gamer. After his parents' divorce and his move from Chicago to a small town where he doesn't know anybody, he copes by staying up way too late playing Killswitch online. Then he discovers a "mod" version of the game that is an exact reproduction of his new town. Strange things start to happen in the game, and they are somehow connected with events in the real world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459814554
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Series:	Orca Soundings Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Lexile:	HL580L (what's this?)
File size:	725 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sean Rodman is the author of several books for young people. When not working on his own books, Sean is the executive director of the Story Studio, a charity that inspires, educates and empowers youth to be great storytellers. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

"Rodman is a capable storyteller, and the portrayals of high school kids is quite good—there is no whiff of 'hello, fellow kids'-type failed attempts to capture the youth of today in this book. With good pacing and an interesting plot, Firewall will appeal to reluctant teen readers."

CM Magazine

"Firewall zips along without sacrificing character development or writing quality…A gripping read that doesn't underestimate the intelligence of its reader."

Resource Links

09/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Josh and his father, a recently divorced police officer, just moved from Chicago to Valleytown, a city in the middle of nowhere. The only redeeming factor is that Josh can still play his favorite video game, Killswitch. In Killswitch, he can live out his fantasies, as long as his dad does not catch on to exactly how much time Josh spends in front of the computer. Josh and his only new friend Griggs find a secret world within Killswitch, and it is an exact digital replica of Valleytown. Josh gets sucked into the creator Sudo's nefarious purpose of creating Valleytown in Killswitch. Suddenly, Josh has to make a decision to either save his new school or let Sudo enact his plans of revenge. This work contains a surprising amount of drama and plot for a slim volume. Readers, reluctant and avid alike, will be quickly drawn into Josh's lonely world. Unfortunately, it reads almost too quickly and wraps up abruptly leaving readers with questions. VERDICT Purchase for collections where hi-lo titles circulate or for libraries with a prevalent video gamer culture.—Morgan Brickey, Arlington Public Library, TX

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