Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by: alexander gordon smith Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Published in 2009 PowerPoint By Antonio Williams

Introduction to Lockdown In the beginning of the story Alex and his friend Toby are robbing a house. In the house they find that other people are there who don’t live there. The people killed Toby and framed Alex for the murder. Alex got sentenced to life at Furnace Penitentiary.

Protagonist Antagonist Alex starts out being a greedy young boy who steals, and ends up getting life without parole for a murder he didn’t commit. Once Alex arrives he discovers that Furnace is a penitentiary of pure evil where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into a vault to never return. Antagonist Furnace Penitentiary, where death is the least of your worries. It’s the worlds most secure prison for young offenders, miles underground. There are gangs and Blacksuits that'll kill you without a moment's hesitation or Wheezers with gas masks sewn to their faces takes you in the dead of the night Matthew Knight

Central Conflict Alex may be a thief and a bully, but he didn’t kill his best friend – he was framed. And his only hope for justice and redemption is escape from a place no one has ever escaped from: Furnace Penitentiary

Zee Zee is like a firecracker, ready to blow at any moment. He got framed for murder and sentenced to life the same day as Alex, and they’ve been watching each others back ever since. His temper constantly get them in trouble. Donovan Carl Donovan is Alex cellmate who was sentenced to life in Furnace for killing a man to save his mother. He helps Alex adjust to the prison life and teaches him the rules. It’s only by following the laws of Furnace that he’s survived this long and when Alex talks about escape he wants nothing to do with it. But he won’t be like that for long once he discovers the warden’s plans… Gary Gary was Alex’s only enemy in Furnace and he was the leader of the Skulls. He always bullied Alex along with the skulls and became friends with Alex towards the end of the book

What Did Critics Say? “Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.”—James Patterson “Readers will be turning pages without pause, and the cliff-hanger ending will have them anticipating the next installment. Most appealing is Smith’s flowing writing style, filled with kid-speak, colorful adjectives, and amusing analogies. Fans of James Patterson’s ‘Maximum Ride’ and Darren Shan’s ‘The Demonata’ series will find this satisfying fare.”  —School Library Joural http://us.macmillan.com/lockdown/AlexanderSmith

My Take On The Novel I think this is a really good book. I don’t believe that it keeps you interested throughout the whole book if you don’t like to read, but at the end it leaves you pondering about what’s going to happen in the next book.