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Code Orange
Mitty Blake loves New York City, and even after 9/11 he's always felt safe. He's a carefree guy, which is why he's late getting started on his advanced bio report. He'd much rather watch the game or hang out than do research on infectious diseases just to get a good grade. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family's weekend house that...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Expected publication:
June 11th 2013
by Ember
(first published September 27th 2005)
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Code Orange is an exciting story filled with adventure, thrill, and horrid desises.
It is about a boy named Mitty Blake. A high school student who would rather listen to music opposed to school work. So, one day, Mitty’s biology teacher gives the class a project on infectuis desises. Mitty goes to Conneticut every weekend and so this time he goes to his place and finds these books. He finds a book on viorla majora. He opens it up and finds these scabs. He accidentally crumples them up and puts...more
It is about a boy named Mitty Blake. A high school student who would rather listen to music opposed to school work. So, one day, Mitty’s biology teacher gives the class a project on infectuis desises. Mitty goes to Conneticut every weekend and so this time he goes to his place and finds these books. He finds a book on viorla majora. He opens it up and finds these scabs. He accidentally crumples them up and puts...more
Jun 21, 2008
Jackie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fiction,
science-fiction
Who knew a required term paper would result in a bioterrorism threat, a possible re-emergence of smallpox and being taken hostage by thugs who want to destroy New York City. Mitty Blake, once again, leaves research for his biology paper until the last minute. He can't get to the library, the bookstores are closed and he can't use the internet as a resource. Surreptitiously, he finds old biology books in his mother's office. Books that were bought as part on an estate sale to be used as decorativ...more
Code Orange was an exciting book. I think this would be novel that would capture the interest of readers from grades sixth through ninth. The main character in Code Orange is Mitty Blake, an affluent New York City teen who cares more about socializing and listening to music than achieving academic success at his private prep school. All this changes when Mitty becomes engrossed in a project on infectious diseases. Mitty decides to do his project on smallpox when he discovers a sampling of smallp...more
Jun 10, 2008
Kelly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Grades 7 -12
Shelves:
2007-2008-young-hoosiers
This should have been the Indiana Young Hoosier winner for 2008. It has everything, mystery, suspense, gore, history....I love the fact that Cooney draws students into to this great story and then shows them the way to do research and the way NOT to do Research.
Mitty is a procrastinator and is the epitome of a bright student with a lack of motivation to do his work properly. His girlfriend is the opposite, she is a dedicated, driven student that does above and beyond what is required. She is an...more
Mitty is a procrastinator and is the epitome of a bright student with a lack of motivation to do his work properly. His girlfriend is the opposite, she is a dedicated, driven student that does above and beyond what is required. She is an...more
All right, where to begin with this one. This was *quite* the thriller, and it kept me in suspense for most of the time I was reading. There was a veritable ton of foreshadowing, and that kept me guessing as well.
Mitty is a likeable, relatable character; the main reason for this is because he is a good person, he tries to help people like the subway performers, and even though he is rather lazy, he tries to do what is right, and he feels a duty to not only his family and friends, but the people...more
Mitty is a likeable, relatable character; the main reason for this is because he is a good person, he tries to help people like the subway performers, and even though he is rather lazy, he tries to do what is right, and he feels a duty to not only his family and friends, but the people...more
The book Code Orange is one of the best books I have ever read. I felt like I was in the story the whole time. It was always entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat practically the whole time. Some parts of the book were “cheesy” and slow like when Mitty is talking about his love for Olivia. Other that than the book was fast paced. The author does a great job setting up the book. It goes from Mitty being close to being switched out of Advanced Biology with his crush Olivia, to Mitty find...more
Dec 15, 2012
Paige
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Paige by:
Creative Writing Club Members
A boy named Mitty gets into a good school for either really rich people, or extrememly smart people. He got in because he is from a rich family. When his teachers tell him that there is an advanced biology project to write about small pox, he finds some books at an old vacation house he and his family go to on some weekends. He also found some old small pox scars. He begins to email some people about his findings. Some of the people he emailed think he holds a danger to the world with the scabs...more
This is one of those cases where "The More You Know" helps. Which may make it a bad kid-lit book--though since that isn't me, I guess that works.
One of my requirements in college was a "Perspectives" course. The one which fit my schedule was Advances in Nursing, a course for non-nursing students to get a nice over-arching look at the medical field today. We had to read a book from a pre-approved list of texts. One of those books was The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, a book largely abo...more
One of my requirements in college was a "Perspectives" course. The one which fit my schedule was Advances in Nursing, a course for non-nursing students to get a nice over-arching look at the medical field today. We had to read a book from a pre-approved list of texts. One of those books was The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, a book largely abo...more
Mitty has hit a slump, and he’s only a junior in high school. Unfortunately, he can’t hide his bad grades too much longer, and he actually gets a little interested in his biology report (especially since he could get booted from the class, and that would mean no Olivia nearby). Everyone is to pick a disease and research it: Mitty picks smallpox. One weekend in the family country home provides Mitty with the four book sources he needs, as his mother collects old books for decoration. In one of th...more
Code Orange follows Mitty Blake, a lazy high school kid, who comes into contact with scabs from a small pox outbreak from the early 1900 hundreds. While he debates whether he might have smallpox now, he is kidnapped by terrorists with the intent of being used as a bio weapon.
This book was the required core novel the brilliant curriculum my district says we should read to our 7th graders. I should start of saying that I'm not a big fan off Caroline B. Cooney, and this book didn't help. My kids lo...more
This book was the required core novel the brilliant curriculum my district says we should read to our 7th graders. I should start of saying that I'm not a big fan off Caroline B. Cooney, and this book didn't help. My kids lo...more
Code Orange (one of my favorites) is a novel written by Caroline B. Cooney. It has times after the September 11 attacks. Mitty is a slacker at school until his teacher, Ms. Lynch, gives him a report about an infectious disease named Variola Virus. He realizes that when he researches it up, it actually shows a report that smallpox might be the source of getting it, even in New York City. He then worries about it when some of his family members gets it. It then he finds a medicine that might cure...more
Not the best YA Lit I've read, but at least it's well-paced! I was definitely interested from start to finish. The omniscient narrator helped up the tension with the subtle countdown. The idea is interesting & really interested me in learning more about smallpox! Though I have stylistic issues with it, I think it's a book that will interest teens.
My issues with the novel are for more advanced and/or adult readers. The ending, for one, seemed a bit abrupt. I would have liked to round off the...more
My issues with the novel are for more advanced and/or adult readers. The ending, for one, seemed a bit abrupt. I would have liked to round off the...more
Mitty Blake is a student at St. Raphael's High School in New York City. He hates school and would rather be doing something social or something to do with sports. The only reason he enjoys attending school is because he enjoys the social aspect. In Mitty's advanced biology class he is assigned to do a report on a viral disease. When Mitty discovers some old scabs in a book he's researching them his world begins to change. He discovers that the scabs are remains from the smallpox epidemic of 1902...more
Interest level: 5th +
Reading level: medium
Genre: adventure, suspense, crime, terrorism, school, humor
This book was so suspenseful that I had to literally read it in one sitting. Mitty Blake is a minimalist - he doesn't like to read, hates writing reports, and puts very little effort into school assignments. But one day, when the pressure is on to finally do some work for a biology report on a disease, Mitty discovers an envelope in an old medical book containing scabs of the smallpox virus - Var...more
Reading level: medium
Genre: adventure, suspense, crime, terrorism, school, humor
This book was so suspenseful that I had to literally read it in one sitting. Mitty Blake is a minimalist - he doesn't like to read, hates writing reports, and puts very little effort into school assignments. But one day, when the pressure is on to finally do some work for a biology report on a disease, Mitty discovers an envelope in an old medical book containing scabs of the smallpox virus - Var...more
Mitty has only one reason to pay attention to his classwork: Olivia; a classmate who shares a mutual interest in him. Usually, Mitty laughs zones out to teacher lectures (in favor of listening to his i-Pod) and laughs off assignments. Things change when his biology teacher assigns a paper about infectious diseases. Mitty comes across a 100 year-old book containing a mysterious envelope which, it turns out, is holding samples of scabs from the 1902 smallpox epidemic. When Mitty comes to terms wit...more
Mar 28, 2009
Jen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
rider-read-alikes,
kids-books
-Mitty and his best friends, Olivia & Derek, are high school jrs. (16 yrs). They need to do a research paper on infectious diseases for Honors Biology.
-Olivia is the smart, perfect straight A student; she picks her topic right away and does tons of research. Mitty, however, procrastinates and instead falls into his topic by accident. His mom is home decorator. She just bought a whole collection of books and plans to use them in one of her remodels.
-A few of the books detail the smallpox ep...more
-Olivia is the smart, perfect straight A student; she picks her topic right away and does tons of research. Mitty, however, procrastinates and instead falls into his topic by accident. His mom is home decorator. She just bought a whole collection of books and plans to use them in one of her remodels.
-A few of the books detail the smallpox ep...more
I don't feel as attached to Code Orange as I did with the Janie series. I think this one, compared to the series mentioned, was a "lesser Cooney". However, there are still good points in this book so I gave it no less than three stars.
Now, for the comments. I feel like the book's a little obsessed with smallpox. It has been repeated loads of times in the book that it became a little silly. Mitty's a really interesting main character but I don't feel much attachment to him. I actually liked Derek...more
Now, for the comments. I feel like the book's a little obsessed with smallpox. It has been repeated loads of times in the book that it became a little silly. Mitty's a really interesting main character but I don't feel much attachment to him. I actually liked Derek...more
Mar 13, 2011
Ellis Stice
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mrs-veit-s-indpendent-study
Elements and Style: Caroline uses great first perspective but in the book changes who it's coming from for a bit. It fits well with modern day time and creates a thick details to support main events. You have to pay attention to lots of little parts in the story. This story really was a great thriller and I just couldn't stop reading it.
Characterization: The starting of this book Caroline creates slacker for her main character and you don't find him interesting. But then later in the story when...more
Characterization: The starting of this book Caroline creates slacker for her main character and you don't find him interesting. But then later in the story when...more
What would happen if you stumbled upon something deadly and didn't know it? Mitty is looking for books to use for a research project and finds an old medical book from the 1900s that his mother purchased. While looking through it, he finds an envelope with scabs from some sort of disease. He checks it out then decides to investigate the disease for his report. Later he discovers the disease is smallpox--a deadly killer that has been eliminated through vaccination, but could decimate the populati...more
Cooney is great at suspense, but really there was no good way for this book to end. After going into detail of the rather awful nature of small pox, the main character who may/may not have been exposed can have the following happen:
1. He can not come down with the disease which in a strange way would be disappointing after all the hype.
2. He can come down with the disease, or kill himself to save the world, which in a strange way would be disappointing because he is, after all, the main characte...more
1. He can not come down with the disease which in a strange way would be disappointing after all the hype.
2. He can come down with the disease, or kill himself to save the world, which in a strange way would be disappointing because he is, after all, the main characte...more
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney is a great book including mystery adventure and even a little romance. This book is about a teenage boy Mitty Blake who is a slacker in many ways. In Biology class they are doing research projects on different diseases. It is due in three days and guess what Mitty hasn't even picked his disease yet. Luckily his mom bought a ton of books from a doctor and some of them are about diseases. Looking at the books Mitty decides to do his on small pox. A very very painf...more
Today, I finished Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. It's a psychological thriller that explores the threat of terrorism post 9-11 as well as the dangers of the Internet. Mitchell Blake, Mitty, reluctantly chooses a science project based on a old science book his mom had picked up. Mitty discovers an envelope with a smallpox scab from 1902 inside. As he dives into his research paper, Mitty becomes obsessed and delusional about smallpox. He emails several agencies and doctors about his findings,...more
Overall, I think Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney is definitely unique and not your typical realistic fiction book. The main character is a boy named Mitchell (Mitty) Blake. He is a rich boy that does not care a lot about school and grades. The book takes place in New York City, and at his country house in Connecticut. The main plot of the book is that Mitty's advanced biology teacher assigns him a report about a disease. Normally, this report would not mean much to him, however, this time it w...more
Jun 24, 2010
Glenda Yaksich
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
12-18 year olds
Shelves:
science-fiction
According to Mitty Blake, New York City is the best place to live. He would do anything to save his city, just like the heroes from the 9/11 attack. Life is great, except for that big biology report--due Monday. While doing his research, Mitty finds an old, yellowed envelope in an ancient medical book. When he opens the envelope, he discovers some black, dried scabs that crumble in his fingers. He realizes they are small pox scabs only after he breathes in the dust. From his research, Mitty know...more
Superbly written and amazingly satisfying!
Code Orange was a great read from start to finish! Written in such a style that made me not want to put it down for a second until I was finished. The author used such great descriptors and imagery that I felt immersed in the story, right there in the main characters shoes living, breathing, smelling, hearing, and experiencing his life. Great plot and storyline too, filled with action and thrills. I felt there was enough scientific study and research and...more
Code Orange was a great read from start to finish! Written in such a style that made me not want to put it down for a second until I was finished. The author used such great descriptors and imagery that I felt immersed in the story, right there in the main characters shoes living, breathing, smelling, hearing, and experiencing his life. Great plot and storyline too, filled with action and thrills. I felt there was enough scientific study and research and...more
I think the book was good it had alot of action and it was suspensful.The book is about this boy name Mitty Blake he goes to St.Raphel's a school in New York City,its a school for rich people.One day in class Mitty had a science project on small pox.For the weekend he does his project he stays in his parents country home in Connecticut,Mitty discovers some old medical texts and decides to use it for his paper.While he was going through the stuff he finds this envelope containing scabs from the 1...more
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Code Orange was a really good book because it had you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book. This book was also based in New York so it did mention a few of the big monuments and did tell you a little about them. I liked this book because it had a lot of good action parts and also some mystery parts.
Mitty Blake is a boy who doesn't care about anything except friends and music, walking round New York City is what he is best at. He doesn't care about school grades or school at all, b...more
Mitty Blake is a boy who doesn't care about anything except friends and music, walking round New York City is what he is best at. He doesn't care about school grades or school at all, b...more
Feb 05, 2009
Patti
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Teens, readers of thrillers
Shelves:
read-in-2009,
young-adult-reads
I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked Mitty, the main character, what he believes in, and how he changes throughout the book.
Mitty is a bit of a slacker when it comes to homework, and he is doing an assignment, last minute of course, using some old medical books he found at home, and finds two scabs in a envelope. They are from a virus, and it is not completely known whether those 100 year old scabs can still transmit disease or not. Is Mitty now going to bring down a major epidemic on New York Ci...more
Mitty is a bit of a slacker when it comes to homework, and he is doing an assignment, last minute of course, using some old medical books he found at home, and finds two scabs in a envelope. They are from a virus, and it is not completely known whether those 100 year old scabs can still transmit disease or not. Is Mitty now going to bring down a major epidemic on New York Ci...more
I read this novel because one of the 8th grade science teachers wants to incorporate it as a novel study with her curriculum. My analysis: it has a great written quality to it that rivals the urgency and unsettled feeling viewers have with outbreak themed movies. It gives readers the sense of knowing and not knowing...a well-crafted balance that propels the plot forward with action under a deadly deadline. It also has a level of sophistication and maturity that will appeal to 8th graders without...more
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Caroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with rem...more
More about Caroline B. Cooney...
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with rem...more
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May 14, 2013 07:17am