The White Fox Chronicles

Fourteen-year-old Cody Pierce, a.k.a. the White Fox, is on a mission. After 18 months in the evil CCR (Confederation of Consolidated Republics) prison camp, Cody makes an ingenious escape and embarks on a plan to carry out his revenge and liberate the children remaining in the camp. The year is 2057, and the USA has been overcome by the brutal tactics of the CCR. But pockets of Americans are building up their strength (and arsenals of weapons), waiting for their chance to fight back. With the White Fox's brilliant, ethical (except when it comes to settling certain scores with CCR's particularly heinous leaders), military mind, the downtrodden Americans may just have a chance.

Intense, violent, and visual, Gary Paulsen's futuristic novel reads like a summertime blockbuster movie. There's even the slightest hint of future romance, with a girl named Rachel who Cody encounters in his escapades. The CCR is more than vaguely reminiscent of Americans' cold-war-era view of communist Russia's evil empire, with a bit of Nazism thrown in for good, wicked measure. Paulsen is the extremely prolific and distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books, including three Newbery Honor titles: Hatchet, Dog Song, and The Winter Room. As a movie, this one might be rated PG13. (Ages 10 to 14) --Emilie Coulter