Notes

220 p Summary: It is the day before George's thirteenth birthday. His father has gone into town to find food and possibly a birthday cake. George's younger brother, Beeper, is in the house. As George keeps watch for his father, a blaster hits and George runs to the house to protect his brother. When George's father doesn't return, George becomes the man of the house. He has to protect his brother and protect the house, the fortress that keeps them safe. Despite his efforts to keep the outside world out of his fortress, the outside world forces its way inside, in the form of Emily. George cannot control Emily. The more time Emily spends in the house, the more George's world is upended. Beeper starts changing; the house starts falling apart; mysterious 'welfare' officers pose a threat; food and water become more and more scarce and George must venture out of the house into the world beyond. As his world begins to disintegrate, so too do the boundaries that George has raised to protect himself and his brother. (Publisher)