Lockdown Escape from FurnaceAlexander Gordon Smith

R. R. Donnelly and Sons CompanyPublished in 2009

By Caleb Nguyen

Introduction• In the beginning, it is about a kid named Alex and he lives in the

rough part of town. His two friends and him rule the jungle gym at school and never gave it up. They would pick on other kids and take their things, mostly money. One of his friends, Toby, and him started getting worse and breaking into houses. They broke into a few houses and soon they had enough money to get bikes and even a brand new computer. On the last house they were at, things went very wrong. Their crime rampage will finally be ended, FOREVER.

• There is not really a specific setting in the beginning of the book but most of the book takes place in a penitentiary called The Furnace. It is the toughest maximum-security prison in the world for young offenders

Characters

• The protagonist is a twelve year old boy named Alex. He is a troubled boy that gets himself into situation that might never get out of.

• The antagonist is the Warden. He is the head of both The Furnace and the Black Suits

Central Conflict

• The central conflict is that Alex is trying to escape from the furnace. He meets some people that help him along the way. As he is on his way to freedom, the mysteries of The furnace dig deeper and deeper from biological mutations to random people disappearing into the shadows. Alex never knows what to expect as his journey continues.

Minor Characters• Toby- Alex’s friend that broke into

the houses with him. He is a major part in why Alex ended up where he is

• Black suits- sometimes described as demons, these people are the tall and burly men that work at The Furnace

• Zee- one kid that got sent to the Furnace for almost the same reason that Alex did. He is with Alex through most of the book

Reader Reviews

• School Library Journal said that it is a cliff hanger. http://www.amazon.ca/Lockdown-Furnace-Alexander-Gordon-Smith/dp/0312611935

• Voice of Youth Advocates says that it will leave you on the edge of your seat. http://momreadsteen.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/lockdown-escape-from-furnace-by-alexander-gordon-smith-2010-farrrar-straus-giroux-isbn-978-0-312-61193-4/

My Opinion

• I think that this was a great book. I really liked it because it never got to the point and it would make me want to keep reading all the way till the end. Its is both a mystery and a horror book.