''Code Orange'' is a 2005 young adult novel by Caroline B. Cooney. The novel won a

National Science Teachers Association The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 (as the National Science Teachers Association) and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is an association of science teachers in the United States and is the largest organization ...

recommendation and has been frequently used in classrooms. The ''

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy The ''Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published six times per year by Wiley-Blackwell. The current editors are ''Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy'' is currently edited by Judith Franzak, Koomi Kim, ...

'' also marked the book as one of their ''Young Adults' Choices for 2007''.

Plot

Mitchell "Mitty" Blake is a teenage boy who lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with his parents. He is carefree and does not worry much about his grades or school. When his biology teacher Mr. Lynch assigns him to write a report about an infectious disease, Mitty has no idea what virus to research. His friend Derek has chosen the topic of anthrax while his crush Olivia has chosen typhoid. Derek talks about anthrax constantly and egotistically, while the studious Olivia tries to help Mitty with his research. During a trip to his family's home in the Connecticut countryside that the Blakes visit nearly every weekend, Mitty finds some old medical books from Boston in 1902. What he discovers in the book changes his life forever. Inside the book, Mitty finds an old envelope containing 100-year-old scabs from Variola major (a severe form of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

) from an epidemic in 1902. One of the scabs crumbles as he handles them, causing Mitty to accidentally inhale some of the dust; Mitty's initial reaction is concern that he has lost something that he could use to improve his grade as part of his project. After reading an article from the

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

, Mitty begins to think that he has acquired smallpox from that exposure and is developing symptoms. He posts questions online and emails several people about smallpox and the scabs, unwittingly attracting the attention of people who want to take advantage of the disease. Before he could attempt suicide to make sure he does not start the smallpox epidemic all over again, Mitty is kidnapped by bio-terrorists who want to use Mitty to infect the United States. Mitty manages to keep his captors and himself from escaping the basement until help arrives; Mitty nearly dies of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

while his captors eventually succumb to the illness. He soon learns that he does not have smallpox, though he is still hospitalized for the carbon monoxide poisoning and the injuries inflicted on him by his kidnappers. At the end of the book, it is implied that Mitty and his longtime crush Olivia will end up a couple.

Reception

Critical reception has been mostly positive, and ''Code Orange'' has received praise from the ''

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne ( University of Chicago Graduate Library School).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. C ...

'' and ''

Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

''. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' both praised ''Code Orange'', and ''Kirkus Reviews'' wrote "Punctuating the drama with plenty of humor, Cooney builds the suspense and keeps it going for another teen-pleaser that’s hard to put down."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Code Orange American young adult novels 2005 American novels Novels set in New York City Delacorte Press books