When I was a wee bit younger, I recall watching a two-day miniseries event call "The Day After." Many of you may remember the furor caused by the teleplay, but what I recall most was the feeling I got after watching it when I wondered if my twelve-year-old self could handle such an attack.

Sheltered: When a Boy Becomes a Legend by Jacob Paul Patchen brought me back to those days. It helped that the protagonist was a twelve-year-old boy himself who was thrust into "Red Dawn" situation. The plot is relatively straightforward in this short YA dystopian book: America is attacked and the children form a group called "The Risers" to both survive and fight back.

Patchen does a great job putting me in the mindset of a twelve-year-old, to include language, specific points of view, and the emotions felt when his father walked out on the family. The boy is tough but sensitive, and I can see that a great deal of effort was put into his character development. Unfortunately, I was not engaged as much with the older sister or some of the side characters. Nevertheless, the writing and POV of James brought me back to those days wondering what if.

I would recommend this book to the target audience: YA readers in the range of 12 to 15, but I would also say those who are old enough to remember the fear we all felt in our childhood growing up under the threat of war might find this book pulling on a few strings. That's what makes a book good, and Sheltered: When a Boy Becomes a Legend by Jacob Paul Patchen is a good example of how to pull that off. ( )

Sheltered: When a Boy Becomes a Legend by Jacob Paul Patchen is a timely, coming-of-age, adventure story featuring an ordinary boy caught up in extraordinary circumstances. A story full of action, nail-biting situations, and moral dilemmas, this is a memorable story that will resonate with both young people and adults.

James is a typical 12-year-old boy enjoying summer break when the story begins. Living with his parents and older sister in rural Ohio, his days are full of hunting and fishing with his Dad, a former Marine. His mother, a local TV news reporter, is careful to keep her children close but otherwise, it’s a pretty normal life – until his Dad leaves home for no apparent reason. As James struggles to understand his father’s defection, one day his mother heads off to work to deal with an emergency. From that point, James’ world rapidly disintegrates. The United States is invaded by a faction called The Alliance, and James needs all his wits and the skills his father taught him to survive. What follows is a stirring tale of growth, endurance, and hope, as James becomes the legend his father hoped he would be.

This story is perfect for teens and young adults, but even as an adult I found much to love. Much of it is told in retrospective, which gives the author many opportunities to layer emotions in with the action. It’s an effective method, as it allows the reader to feel what James is going through as a young man maturing during a time of strife, violence, and fear. Keeping the voice of his father in the back of his head, James becomes a charismatic and empathetic leader of a group of children. He’s not just a strategic leader but also their moral center, as he helps them all survive without losing their basic humanity. The author deftly interweaves this throughout the story, so the story remains fast-paced and exciting, not preachy.

Sheltered: When a Boy Becomes a Legend reminds me a bit of Red Dawn, so if you’re a fan (which I am!), here’s your chance to share an updated imagining of what could happen should this scenario ever play out. A splendid balance of adventure, ethics, bravery, loss, and love, this story has something for everyone. ( )

Great read! Captured my interest right away, and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. Great reminder we all have times in life where we are forced to choose between evil and good.

Note: I was given this as a free ebook in exchange for a honest review. ( )

Disclosure: Got this ebook for free as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers February 2021 batch. While I got this book for free I'm giving my honest opinion of it. Jacob Paul Patchen (the author) nor TouchPoint Press (the publisher) nor LibraryThing have any say in this review at all, and they didn't get a copy of this review before it went live.

This is a good book, which I could see a series or a movie from. The author provides enough detail allowing you to visually see the story. There are some points in the book that seemed to jump around, like they went from one place to another, but the author didn't say the journey took place.

There are a couple of small spelling and grammar errors in the book (like tied instead of tried).

If I could, I would have read the book in one seating. It's that good.

The pdf I got from the publisher however, the text size was very small. So small that I had to zoom in to least 140% to comfortably read the text. I did convert it to epub for easier reading on my ereader. I'm not sure if this was just a problem on my copy, but I hope it isn't a problem on copies that can be bought.

I have so many favourite quotes that I could probably fill this entire review with quotes, but I won't.

"We never saw it coming, because we were so comfortable looking the other way."

"Another useless piece of technology when things go dark"

"There’s no shame in feeling, son"

"Isn’t that how it all seems to work anymore? Isn’t that what Mom said politics has become? ‘Old white guys with money buying loyalties and moving pawns like a chessboard"

“Well, are you gonna just sit there and look stupid, or are you gonna shake my hand?” ( )

Sheltered is a dystopian novel set in an alternate US which has been overrun by a terrorist organization, forcing the survivors, especially children, to run and hide for their lives. One survivor, James, recounts the early days of the attacks which left him alone, hiding out in his bunker, before forming a team of young resistance fighters known as The Risers.

Sheltered is not your average middle grade story. It's gritty, horrifying, and holds nothing back. The protagonist, James, is a born leader with a strong moral compass that readers can look up to. You can find my full review here: https://laurasbooksandblogs.com/sheltered-book-review-author-interview/ ( )