Icecore: A Carl Hobbes Thriller

by Matt Whyman

Book Overview

A "24" for teens, this edge-of-your-seat thriller stars 17-year-old British computer hacker Carl Hobbes, who is arrested by the American government for penetrating the security at Fort Knox. After he is shipped off to Icecore, an American military installation in the Arctic, Carl has 48 hours to steal back his freedom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416949070
• ISBN13: 9781416949077
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Fort Knox has been robbed. The American government is determined to track down the thieves, and the trail leads straight to Carl Hobbes. He is just an ordinary seventeen-year-old British computer whiz who is only guilty of being a little too curious, but the feds are sure that he is part of a conspiracy that has breached the security at Fort Knox, and they want to know just where the gold is that has been stolen. Carl is taken into custody and whisked off to the Guantanamo Bay of the Arctic to be caged alongside the world's most notorious terrorists. There they try to wring the truth out of him with physical and mental torture. Carl is not sure who is the most dangerous...his captors, or his fellow inmates. What he does know is that he must make them believe him...he knows nothing about the stolen gold or the break-in. How could he? He's just a kid, right? Clearing his name, escape, and survival are the top things on his mind, but the only thing less compatible with survival than his treatment is the landscape outside. They tell him that when the shivering stops, that's when you should start to worry. It's your body's way of signaling that it's lost the battle to keep your blood warm. But by then you'll be too weak to retrace your steps. Chances are you'll be so confused and disoriented that you won't even recall what it was you were fleeing in the first place. All you'll want to do is lie down in the snow and close your eyes. ICECORE is filled with hair-raising action and the fear is real. You won't be able to forget the compelling characters in this story where the suspense builds relentlessly to a crashing, unexpected climax. I'll be looking for more from this exceptional author. Wow! I still have goosebumps. Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

A fine mystery advanced teens will relish

Carl Hobbes is not your usual criminal mastermind: he's a teen British computer hacker who penetrated Fort Knox security for a laugh - and since his efforts, gold has been flowing into terrorist groups around the world. Carl is in a military prison caged alongside notorious terrorists - and is in one of the most secure prisons in the world. How can he escape a prison buried in the nice? ICECORE is a fine mystery advanced teens will relish.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Fort Knox has been robbed. The American government is determined to track down the thieves, and the trail leads straight to Carl Hobbes. He is just an ordinary seventeen-year-old British computer whiz who is only guilty of being a little too curious, but the feds are sure that he is part of a conspiracy that has breached the security at Fort Knox, and they want to know just where the gold is that has been stolen. Carl is taken into custody and whisked off to the Guantanamo Bay of the Arctic to be caged alongside the world's most notorious terrorists. There they try to wring the truth out of him with physical and mental torture. Carl is not sure who is the most dangerous...his captors, or his fellow inmates. What he does know is that he must make them believe him...he knows nothing about the stolen gold or the break-in. How could he? He's just a kid, right? Clearing his name, escape, and survival are the top things on his mind, but the only thing less compatible with survival than his treatment is the landscape outside. They tell him that when the shivering stops, that's when you should start to worry. It's your body's way of signaling that it's lost the battle to keep your blood warm. But by then you'll be too weak to retrace your steps. Chances are you'll be so confused and disoriented that you won't even recall what it was you were fleeing in the first place. All you'll want to do is lie down in the snow and close your eyes. ICECORE is filled with hair-raising action and the fear is real. You won't be able to forget the compelling characters in this story where the suspense builds relentlessly to a crashing, unexpected climax. I'll be looking for more from this exceptional author. Wow! I still have goosebumps. Reviewed by: Grandma Bev