Published: 2022
Series: N/A
Author: Gordon Korman
Illustrator: N/A
Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Audiobook, Friendship, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Abuse, Childrens, Family
Audience (Grade Levels): Middle Grades & Teens / Grades 5-12
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: The Fort
Triggers: Domestic abuse, family trauma, and dangerous situations
Review By: Monica Morse
Publisher’s Summary:
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.
Review:
I have lost count of how many Gordon Korman books I have read, and I am never disappointed. The one issue I had with this book was losing track of the characters and who was who. I found myself writing down notes and reminders about the different characters to help me remember. However, I always enjoy how Gordon Korman provides the story from everyone’s perspectives. This story of friendship is a great story for boys to read as they go through middle and high school. There are many books available with girls being the main characters demonstrating friendship, it is nice to have one with boys demonstrating brotherhood, and a story where boys can see themselves in. With being in an elementary building, I will be recommending this book to sixth graders.
Gordon Korman has an exceptional writing style, structure, and pacing that seamlessly handles multiple rotating points of view. While the frequent structural shifts across five different adolescent mindsets can initially make it difficult to keep track of the large cast without taking personal notes, the payoff is immense. Each protagonist is constructed with an incredibly memorable voice, offering unique lenses into their personal struggles and triumphs. The book’s jacket art is remarkably eye-catching and dynamic, featuring a mysterious, shadowy woodland trapdoor design that perfectly acts as a visual hook to attract its middle-grade and teen target audience.
I give this book a full 5 stars, giving it highest marks for its incredible narrative creativity, brilliant prose, authentic handling of difficult topics, and deep dedication to representation. It is a vital resource for school librarians, upper elementary educators, and junior high counselors looking to foster a supportive emotional culture among their students. This title delivers extraordinary overall value for secondary libraries seeking to expand their high-interest, realistic fiction collections.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA / Literary Techniques: An excellent mentor text for instructing students on multi-POV narrative structures, characterization techniques, and how to effectively manage parallel subplots.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Connects deeply to guidance units on trust, building healthy male friendships, vulnerability, establishing strong communication, and developing peer support systems during a domestic crisis.
- Extension Activity / Library Application: This book is a stellar choice for upper elementary and middle school literature circles, independent reading programs, or library book clubs. As an extension activity, students can select one of the five main characters, analyze their specific journal entries or perspective shifts, and sketch or design a “vault blueprint segment” representing what that character’s personal safe space or coping method looks like.
- Diversity & Representation: The Fort supports equity, diversity, and inclusion by offering a rare and crucial look into male emotional vulnerability and toxic domestic spaces. It models healthy representation by showcasing a diverse “band of brothers” who actively dismantle stereotypes regarding young boys and their emotions, creating an equitable space where vulnerability is viewed as a distinct strength.
Readalikes:
- Restart by Gordon Korman
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds
- The Benefit of Doubt by Avery Flynn
