School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Luke, son of the president, worries deeply about terrorists and crazy people. While he is on vacation at Camp David with best friend and fellow robotics nut Theo, he feels safer than he has in a long time. Just after Callie, the assistant chef's daughter and Luke's longtime enemy, arrives, a disastrous earthquake strikes. When a wildfire surrounds the camp, injuring and possibly killing several adults during evacuation, Luke and his friends are left on their own and must use their wits to overcome nature's worst. Kids will enjoy the adventure and realistic characters. Luke and friends may be part of the country's elite, but they bicker and problem-solve just like regular kids. As Luke develops into a more confident boy, readers will cheer for his progress. Most interesting are the contraptions and gadgets built by the children in order to overcome obstacles and up their chances of survival. Recommend this to fans of T. S. Fields's Danger in the Desert (Rising Moon, 1997) and Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (Bradbury, 1987). An accessible story with lots of action.-Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
The president's son, Luke, and two of his friends are trapped at Camp David after an earthquake triggers a wildfire and both events wreak havoc at the compound. The children must use courage and ingenuity to get out and help others to safety. Middle-graders will find this an exciting, action-packed survival story. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Adventure. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Long on action and brief of chapter, this suspenseful survival tale debuts the Danger's Edge series, which promises to make riveting fare for middle-graders. Luke is initially pleased to stay behind at Camp David when his father, the president, is called away to deal with a massive earthquake that has struck the Midwest. Then a sudden wildfire sweeps out of the neighboring park and an auto accident at the entrance gate during the hasty evacuation triggers the camp's electronic protective systems while disabling or killing his entire security detail. Locked inside an electrified fence, without means of communication with the outside and in danger of being fried in any number of ways, Luke and two friends face the double challenge of breaking through multiple rings of automated security (all invented, claims the author) and escaping a fast-moving, windblown fire. Along with a breathlessly paced plot, Garretson crafts a preteen protagonist who grows out of being a whiny, moody sort and, with his companions, displays generous measures of courage and ingenuity in rising to the occasion.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist
