Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy&#...
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Feb 03, 2009
Michael
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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 an 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 an More...
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Jun 21, 2008
Jackie
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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 decorati
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Feb 06, 2008
Nova
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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 sm
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Jun 10, 2008
Kelly
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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 require 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 require More...
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Mar 06, 2009
Tristan
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Jan 14, 2011
Ruhama
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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
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Apr 23, 2010
Mark
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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 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 More...
Sep 23, 2009
drunkcoke83
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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 t
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Jan 09, 2012
Tani
rated it: 
GENERAL FICTION CATEGORY
This fast-paced action novel will appeal especially to adolescent males between 13 and 17. Clearly written as a direct response to 9/11, in particular the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93, Cooney's book raises moral questions about citizens' responsibilities regarding terrorism. For this reason, I would not recommend it to junior high students. Mitty is a likeable guy who easily makes friends with everyone. He finds school boring and rarely does homework, but More...
This fast-paced action novel will appeal especially to adolescent males between 13 and 17. Clearly written as a direct response to 9/11, in particular the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93, Cooney's book raises moral questions about citizens' responsibilities regarding terrorism. For this reason, I would not recommend it to junior high students. Mitty is a likeable guy who easily makes friends with everyone. He finds school boring and rarely does homework, but More...
Jul 29, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
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 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 More...
Nov 17, 2011
Clint
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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
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Nov 09, 2010
Michele
rated it:
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 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 More...
Mar 02, 2009
Mr. Z
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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
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Mar 28, 2009
Jen
rated it:
-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 t 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 t More...
May 14, 2011
Nelvieee
rated it:
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 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 More...
Mar 13, 2011
Ellis
rated it:
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 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 More...
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Jul 29, 2011
Mrs.Houck
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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
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Jan 19, 2011
Jeannie
rated it:
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, 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, More...
Apr 28, 2010
Emma
rated it:
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
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Jun 24, 2010
Glenda
rated it:
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
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Mar 22, 2011
Nikolas
rated it:
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...
Mar 18, 2011
Jordan
rated it:
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
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Jan 11, 2011
Jon
rated it:
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 o 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 o More...
Feb 05, 2009
Patti
rated it:
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 epidemi 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 epidemi More...
May 13, 2009
Kendra
rated it:
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
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Apr 27, 2009
Kat
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 24, 2011
Kai
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When I started reading this book I thought it would end much differently. My favorite part of the book is during the middle of the story, the main character Mitty makes a big decision and leaves an intense letter to his parents. My favorite character has got to be Mitty, because he is a lot like me. I was surprised when I read the ending, the author tricks you! I liked the way the author gives you all of this foreshadowing for the ending, and then all of a sudden she throws a curveball at you. I
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Jan 26, 2010
Allegra
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"Code Orange" by Caroline B. Cooney is about a young teenager named Mitty Blake. In science class they have to do a project on infectious disease. Although the project was assigned four weeks ago, Mitty, being a typical slacker, waits until the very last minute. Mitty decides to do his project on smallpox because of the surplus of books his mother just bought from an old doctor on them. While Mitty is looking through one of the books, an envelope marked "Scabs- VM epidemic, 1902,
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Jan 06, 2011
Valerie
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This novel covers the story of a young man who is just trying to coast through class. He does enough just to get by, but the girl that he likes is the overboard over achiever. While he is working on a report on small pox for his science class, he opens an old medical book and finds a small envelope of scabs. Unknowingly, he may have infected himself with small pox. The entire book leads to a countdown and an adventure full of events. It was very intense,but not terribly deep in meaning.
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Jun 11, 2011
Sasha
rated it:
I'm not going to write a full-out review of this book. I will just say that it's written about an extremely odd topic, but reading it opens your mind to a world of intriguing studies that you never considered.
Author Caroline B. Cooney asks, "What are infectious diseases? Why should we care? What are the implications? What if the ghost-epidemics of old were to return to plague modern society?"
It's a teen book. The plot is simple enough for kids and relevant enough fo More...
Author Caroline B. Cooney asks, "What are infectious diseases? Why should we care? What are the implications? What if the ghost-epidemics of old were to return to plague modern society?"
It's a teen book. The plot is simple enough for kids and relevant enough fo More...
