Peter Tarkoy
The Compound
S.A. Bodeen
Science Fiction
Just Right
Pg. 121

1. In the beginning, you are taken right into the action. The main character, Eli, tells his first-person story of what is happening. Eli's family (two sisters, father, and mother) are heading to the underground Compound Eli's father built in-case of a nuclear attack, which is currently happening. Eli's family, the Yanakakis', are extremely rich because of their father Rex who runs a computer company (Remind you of anyone?). Eli says he wonders where his Grandmother is ("Gram") and his father said that they had to leave her behind. He then realizes the awful truth that his twin brother Eddy was left behind also (they, Gram and Eddy, went back to get some things they thought were necessary for life in the Compound). The story then starts off a few years later where Eddy describes how horrible life in the Compound is, and how they are forced through the same routine every day. He goes off into small, yet interesting, stories about his brother, which establishes a strong sympathy for him.

1. I think this is a great book. I read it because of the recommendation of Mrs. Duryea and she definitely has not yet me down! As I mentioned in 1., this book dived right into the action. In fact, a small piece of text evidence: "T.S. Eliot was wrong. My world ended with a bang the minute we entered the Compound and that silver door closed behind us." (1). This piece of text evidence was literally from the first line. I look books (like this) that get right into the plot, instead of spending time establishing a base for characters and such.
2. A theme I have noticed in The Compound is innocence. Eli is just a normal kid trying to live his life in the outside world, innocently. He is then torn away from his world and Eddy into a cold, dark, lonely underground area where he only has his family. I also see this theme in the world before they had to move to the Compound. Nobody expected Japan, Russia, and America to have a nuclear war, but they did and every innocent person died because of it.
3. My favorite character is Eddy, because although I haven't met him, he sounds like such a great guy. Eli's descriptions of him include: "A fun guy" "Nice to everyone" (Those are paraphrases). Which even make me want to meet him. He also admitted that Eddy was definitely the better twin brother, and that kids only liked Eli because they liked Eddy. Because of this, Eli misses him very much.
4. My least favorite character is Rex, Eli's father, because he is so misterious and he doesn't tell the kids much about the Compound. The author uses this mysteriousness to foreshadow that Rex is somehow involved in the whole world blowing up. How else would he know that they needed a Compound to save themselves? I also dislike that he is short-tempered. For example, when Eli tried to ask for help with his math homework (yes, he has to study in the Compound), Rex yelled at him for going into his office.
   
5. I predict that Eli will want to either try to escape from the Compound because of how lonely and boring it is, or that he will dig deep into his father's forbidden office to look for how he (his father) knew that such a Compound was ever necessary. I predicted this because his father started to build the Compound before conflicts were high.