Edge of Extinction #1: The Ark Plan - Hardcover

Martin, Laura

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062416227 ISBN 13: 9780062416223

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2016

Synopsis

Jurassic World meets Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in this epic new middle grade series full of heart-pounding action and breathtaking chills! "Amazing adventures!" raves Brightly.com as they recommend Edge of Extinction as a 2016 Holiday Gift for Tween Readers. 

One hundred and fifty years ago, the first dinosaurs were cloned. Soon after, they replaced humans at the top of the food chain. The only way to survive was to move into underground compounds. . . .

Five years ago, Sky Mundy’s father vanished from North Compound without a trace. Now she has just stumbled on a clue that not only suggests his disappearance is just the tip of an even larger mystery, but also points directly to the surface. To find her dad—and possibly even save the world—Sky and her best friend, Shawn, must break out of their underground home and venture topside to a land reclaimed by nature and ruled by dinosaurs.

Perfect for fans of Brandon Mull, Lisa McMann, and Rick Riordan, this exhilarating debut novel follows two courageous friends who must survive in a lost world that’s as dangerous as they’ve always feared but also unlike anything they could ever have imagined.

About this title

About the Author

Laura Martin is a mom by day and a middle grade author by night, although in her heart she will always be a seventh-grade language arts teacher. She lives in the Indianapolis area with her family. You can connect with her on Instagram @LauraMartinBooks or at lauramartinbooks.com.

From the Back Cover

I always thought that I wouldn’t put you in danger for the world, but it turns out that for the world, I will. —Dad

one hundred and fifty years ago: The first dinosaurs were cloned. With their return came a prehistoric pandemic that nearly wiped out the human race. The only way to survive was to move underground, allowing the dinosaurs to take over. . . .

Five years ago: Sky Mundy’s father mysteriously fled their home in North Compound, one of four facilities where the last remnants of humanity have been trying to rebuild, leaving her all alone.

Yesterday: Sky discovered a cryptic message from him telling her the fate of the world depends on Sky delivering a memory card to someone above ground. No one survives above ground.

Now: Sky is going anyway. Breaking out of North Compound with her best friend, Shawn, in tow, Sky has to try to fulfill her father’s impossible request. As Sky ventures topside into this lost world reclaimed by nature and ruled by dinosaurs, she will discover it is just as dangerous as she had always feared . . . but it’s also nothing like she had ever expected.

I heard the sound of a tree branch snap, and I jerked my head up, scanning the surrounding trees. I’d only been above for a minute, but that was more than enough time for them to get my scent. I turned on my heel and sprinted for the compound entrance. The ground began to tremble under my feet, and I had to remind myself not to panic. I could panic later, when I was safely underground with two feet of concrete above my head.

I spotted the first one out of the corner of my eye as it burst from the trees. Bloodred scales winked in the dawn light as its opaque eyes focused in on me.

I hit the twenty-yard mark with my heart trying to claw its way up my throat. The Deinonychus was gaining on me.

Fifteen yards. Ten yards. Five. Two.

Reviews

Gr 4–6—Sky Mundy has heard all her life how the Noah saved the citizens of the United States from extinction during the Dinosauria Pandemic, getting them into the old nuclear bomb shelters that were safe from ferocious dinosaurs and the fatal virus they carry. But Sky sees the dark side of the Noah's Marine enforcers. She is singled out because she is an orphan and thus a burden (though she refuses to acknowledge that her father, missing for five years, is dead), and her life is a litany of work details and isolation in the Guardian Wing of the North Compound. Sky desperately hopes for word from her absent father, and finally, on her 12th birthday, her best friend Shawn finds a clue hidden in the compass Sky's father gave her just before he disappeared. With that information, Sky decides it's time to go "topside" to look for her missing dad. Shawn helps her make a daring escape from the compound, and the two discover that the world outside is not as they were led to believe. There are certainly dinosaurs, and most of them are out to make Sky and Shawn dinner. But there are also people living topside, not to mention fresh food and fresh air. In this clever take on Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, the tale is reimagined on a worldwide scale. The characters are developed, and the postapocalyptic world is well imagined and replete with detail. The plot moves forward briskly, with a few good twists, and the ending sets up neatly for a sequel. Nonstop action, marauding dinosaurs, and kids on the run: What's not to like? VERDICT This is a great buy for the sci-fi adventure-loving crowd.—Gretchen Crowley, Alexandria City Public Libraries, VA

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062416227
• ISBN 13: 9780062416223
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Deschamps Eric
• Number of pages: 368