The Fort by Gordon Korman

Five boys find an unexpected place to come to terms with troubling life issues: The Fort.

The Fort by Gordon Korman. Scholastic, 2022, 239 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

A Place of Their Own

Evan’s parents are both in rehab after totally bugging out as parents. Jason’s parents are going through a nasty divorce, using him as a means of provoking and getting back at each other. Mitchell is no longer seeing a therapist for his OCD because his mom lost her full-time job and medical insurance. And C.J. takes crazy risks that leave him battered and bruised. Ricky the new kid has no problems besides being super-smart, which alienates the other boys in his 8^th-grade class. Nevertheless, after a big storm damaged Ricky’s bedroom, his parents ask Evan’s grandparents to take him in until they can make repairs. That means the gang gets a new tag-along, which none of them want.

But Ricky’s the one who discovers the underground bunker built by the town’s long-deceased entrepreneur: a fully-stocked retreat from the coming apocalypse. And Ricky’s the one who figures out how to keep the town bully from discovering it, and the one who realizes that C.J.’s injuries are not self-inflicted. The Fort becomes much more than a clubhouse or guys’ hangout. As Evan reflects, “What do [the parents] know about how special it is—how rare—for a kid to have a place that’s totally yours? And no matter what else is going on in your life . . . you still have this thing, this place that’s your escape from it.”

We’ve Got Issues

Like Korman’s Linked, this is an ensemble novel with multiple voices and no main character. After a few chapters it isn’t hard to tell the boys apart and pick up on each of their stories. The author deals with some tough issues but in a way that’s appropriate for this age group, with no bad language or graphic scenes. One of the characters has a girlfriend, but it’s a sweet relationship that crosses no boundaries. Another has a way of dealing with hostility that involves peeing on someone else’s plants—these are boys, after all—but it’s clear this is no way to handle the problem. Korman’s novels (this is #100; he published his first at the age of 15) take on serious problems and character flaws with a light and sympathetic style. The Fort is no exception. Fans of 1980s filmography should check it out, too!

Overall Rating: 4

• Worldview/moral value: 3.75
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Besides Linked, other books Gordon Korman books we’ve reviewed are Operation Do-Over, Super-Gifted, The Unteachables, Restart, and Masterminds.  
• Review: Don’t confuse this novel with Fort, which we’ve also reviewed, and is also worth a read.

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