Watch the Sky - Softcover

Hubbard, Kirsten

3.51

708 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1484708989 ISBN 13: 9781484708989

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016

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The signs are everywhere, Jory's stepfather, Caleb, says.Red leaves in the springtime. Pages torn from a library book. All the fish in the aquarium facing the same way. A cracked egg with twin yolks. Everywhere and anywhere. And because of them Jory's life is far from ordinary. He must follow a very specific set of rules: don't trust anyone outside the family, have your works at the ready just in case, and always, always watch out for the signs. The end is coming, and they must be prepared.

School is Jory's only escape from Caleb's tight grasp, and with the help of new friends Jory begins to explore a world beyond his family's farm. As Jory's friendships grow, Caleb notifies Jory's mother and siblings that the time has come for final preparations.

They begin an exhausting schedule digging a mysterious tunnel in anticipation of the disaster. But as the hold gets deeper, so does the family's doubt about whether Caleb's prophecy is true. When the stark reality of his stepfather's plans becomes clear, Jory must choose between living his own life or following Caleb, shutting his eyes to the bright world he's just begun to see.

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About the Author:

Kirsten Hubbard is the author of middle grade novel Watch the Sky and two YA novels from Delacorte, Wanderlove and Like Mandarin. She also runs the popular blog YA Highway (http://www.yahighway.com/) and she holds a BA in writing from UCSD. Kirsten lives in San Diego, California. This is her first middle-grade novel. Visit her online at http://www.kirstenhubbard.com/ or on Twitter @KirstenHubbard.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–6—Jory's family has secrets. Not exciting we're-wizards-or-superheroes secrets, but ominous something-bad-is-coming secrets. "Signs are everywhere," says his stepfather Caleb. But signs of what? Twelve-year-old Jory and his younger siblings aren't given an explanation. Caleb's paranoia isolates the family through grueling preparations for a catastrophic event just as a new friend and a caring teacher open up Jory's world. He learns to think for himself and begins to question the well-intentioned secrets that have dominated his family's life. Caleb's tightening grip is on a collision course with Jory's expanding views and reaches a crisis in an emotionally charged standoff at the novel's climax. Which man, Jory or Caleb, knows what is best for the family? Strong characters drive the carefully crafted novel and readers feel and understand their conflicts. Caleb is no villain but a sympathetic, tragic figure, misguided but sincere in the desire to keep his family safe. It's clear why Jory's mother, loving but fragile, married him. Sister Kit, an enigma to everyone but her brother, embodies the novel's otherworldly feel. Readers can't help but root for Jory as he warily lets his guard down, discovering the simple joys of friendship and that the outside world isn't something to be feared. Hubbard's sparse, elegant prose captures the rural landscape's desolate beauty as well as its dangers and palpably expresses the family's escalating tensions. VERDICT Unanswered questions will intrigue readers in this atmospheric, ultimately hopeful novel.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

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