Code Orange

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

Mitchell, or Mitty, Blake is a likable high school boy who works hard to avoid academics. Forced, finally, to do some research for a term paper on an infectious disease, Mitty turns to some of his mother's antique books for information. In her collection, he finds a book on smallpox and an envelope marked "Smallpox Scabs." Mitty opens the envelope, handles the "scabs," and puts them back without much thought.

As Mitty digs deeper into the world of smallpox, he begins to understand that 1) viruses have a long shelf life and 2) small pox is baaaaad. I loved this section of the book: the growing paranoia teamed up with medical information. In fact, I love learning about viruses and disease. I don't really know why.

The book does eventually turn from the etiology of small pox into an action book, and this is where my interest dropped. However, this is exactly where one of my acquaintance's interest finally grew.

This is a quick and suspenseful read that includes a highly likable protagonist, some good medical mystery, and suspense and action.

Grade: B-