The Fort — Content Guide for Parents
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Religious themes
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
From the bestselling author of RESTART, the story of a middle-school "band of brothers" -- five friends who need to stick together after they set up a hideout in an abandoned bomb shelter and discover that the only way to be true friends is to reveal their secrets and help each other out.
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction -- power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends -- Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ -- meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray -- Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn't have any friends yet.
Ricky is the one to find the strange trap door that's appeared in the middle of the woods -- the door to an old bomb shelter, unearthed by the hurricane. Inside, the boys find a completely intact underground lair, complete with electricity, food, and entertainment (in the form of videocassettes). The boys vow to keep the place's existence to themselves.
Things soon get tense. Some bad locals keep snooping around. And what started out as a fun place to escape soon becomes a serious refuge for one of the kids who is trying to avoid an abusive home situation. In order to save the shelter, the friends must keep its secret... and in order to save themselves, they're going to have to share their individual secrets, and build the safest place they can.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Fort appropriate for a 7-year-old?
The book includes themes of domestic violence, as one character, C.J., is described as being abused by his stepfather. This is a significant aspect of the narrative, indicating serious issues that the characters face. No genuinely frightening content is present in the book. The narrative focuses on friendship and challenges faced by the characters rather than horror or scary themes.
Does The Fort have violence?
The book includes themes of domestic violence, as one character, C.J., is described as being abused by his stepfather. This is a significant aspect of the narrative, indicating serious issues that the characters face.
Does The Fort have scary content?
No genuinely frightening content is present in the book. The narrative focuses on friendship and challenges faced by the characters rather than horror or scary themes.
Does The Fort have religious themes?
No religious content in the book itself. The search results reference general discussions about faith and unrelated religious organizations, which are not relevant to the book's narrative.
Does The Fort have racial/cultural content?
No explicit racial themes or discussions are present in the book. The search results do not indicate that race is a central theme or plot point.
Does The Fort have profanity?
No profanity is mentioned in the book's narrative. The search results do not indicate any use of strong language in 'The Fort'.
Does The Fort have climate change?
No climate themes are present in the book. The search results focus on unrelated climate action initiatives and do not connect to the narrative of 'The Fort'.
Does The Fort have sexual identity?
There is a mention of a middle school boy having a girlfriend and being teased about it, which indicates some light romantic content. However, it does not delve deeply into sexual themes.
Does The Fort have gender roles?
The book does not actively discuss or critique gender roles. It features male friendships and challenges but does not promote or challenge traditional gender expectations.
Does The Fort have lgbtq+ themes?
No LGBTQ+ themes or characters are mentioned in the book's narrative. The search results focus on general LGBTQ+ resources and do not provide any relevant content from 'The Fort'.
