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Amy Christine Parker

Gated Hardcover – Abridged, August 6, 2013

by Amy Christine Parker (Author)

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A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Lyla Hamilton is a loyal member of the Community. Her family was happy to be chosen by Pioneer to join such an lovely gated neighborhood. Here, life seems perfect.

But after meeting Cody, an outsider boy, Lyla starts questioning Pioneer, her friends, her family--everything. And if there's one thing not allowed in the Community, it's doubt. As Pioneer cleverly manipulates his flock toward disaster, the real question is: Will Lyla follow her heart or follow Pioneer over the edge?

From the outside looking in, it's hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker's beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.

"A tense psychological thriller that will leave you gasping for breath as you race to the very last page." --Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten

HelloGiggles.com, August 3, 2013:
"When I found out that there was a YA book about cults, of course I had to read it. As it turns out, Amy Christine Parker’s Gated is an awesome, creepy book that reminds me of my favorite cult films while still being surprising."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2013:
"Parker doesn’t pull punches, indicating a level of brutality that will appropriately disturb even as it successfully conveys Lyla’s complete entrapment in the Community. Compelling and not that distant from real-world cults that have ended in tragedy."

Publishers Weekly, June 10, 2013:
"Parker skillfully explores the mindset and inner workings of an apocalyptic cult, steadily building toward the inevitable moment of truth...As for the apocalypse itself, Parker keeps things suitably ambiguous, resulting in a complex, intriguing tale rooted in real-world events."

School Library Journal, October 2013:
"This well-plotted tale will allow readers a glimpse into the possible world of a doomsday cult...The language is accessible, making it a good choice for reluctant readers. After the last page is turned, the question will linger: 'Could I ever be deceived like this?'"

Examiner.com
"A well-rounded and thorough look into cults while still remaining entertaining throughout. I look forward to reading more of Parker's works in the future."

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date

August 6, 2013
Grade level

9 and up
Reading age

14 years and up
Dimensions

5.68 x 1.28 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-10

0449815978
ISBN-13

978-0449815977
Lexile measure

HL750L
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month, July 2013 Spotlight Pick: In the form of a highly original thriller, Gated goes inside the psychology of a fictional doomsday cult nearing the end of days. Real life cults have captured America's attention for decades and author Christine Parker taps into our fascination with ordinary people who fall under the spell of a charismatic leader. Despite having grown up in this insular community, seventeen-year-old Lyla, like teens everywhere, begins to question the status quo and work out what she really wants and believes--putting herself in mortal danger. Gated covers some universal themes: questioning authority, the need to belong, the desire to be special and safe, while delivering a gripping story that appeals to both teens and adults. The conclusion is a whirlwind of nail-biting action and I found myself racing through the pages to see how it was all going to end. --Seira Wilson

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-Pioneer came to Lyla's family when they were at their most vulnerable: Karen, five-year-old Lyla's older sister, had disappeared without a trace from in front of their apartment building, not long before the planes hit the World Trade Center. Lyla's father and mother-along with several other families-willingly followed Pioneer to Mandrodage Meadows, a gated community with a dark secret. Pioneer claims that the mysterious Brethren have chosen them as survivors of the coming Armageddon. He controls what they watch, how they live, whom the youth will marry. Lyla, now 17, knows that she is safe, but the thought of living in the underground silo that will be their home when the world ends doesn't really seem like her idea of living. When she meets Cody, the local sheriff's son, and he begins to question some of her long-held beliefs, Lyla wonders if Pioneer is really the savior he claims to be. Her doubts will have some consequences that will put her and her community in danger-not only from outside, but also from within. This well-plotted tale will allow readers a glimpse into the possible world of a doomsday cult. Because the characters come across as real individuals, it's easy to sympathize with their situation and the way in which they have been taken in by Pioneer's lies. The subject matter and violence make this book more appropriate for an older audience, but the language is accessible, making it a good choice for reluctant readers. After the last page is turned, the question will linger: "Could I ever be deceived like this?"-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, COα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“A tense psychological thriller that will leave you gasping for breath as you race to the very last page.”
—Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten

“An awesome, creepy book that reminds me of my favorite cult films while still being surprising.”
—HelloGiggles.com

“Compelling. . . . This absorbing examination of a cult focuses on a teenage girl who begins to doubt their leader.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“I highly recommend Gated to fans of contemporary fiction with a twist. This one has a bit of everything—mystery, intense action, real life issues, and romance.”
—My Book Addiction (blog)

“After the last page is turned, the question will linger: ‘Could I ever be deceived like this?’”
—SLJ

“Highly recommended for fans of YA thrillers and contemporary fiction.”
—A Dream Within a Dream (blog)

“Every once in a while a book comes along that leaves you reeling. Speechless. Shocked. Nothing you say will do it justice. Gated is that book. Chilling, horrifying, but beautiful. A MUST read.”
—Lilybloombooks.com

“Action-packed and full of suspense. . . . It’s new and fresh, a step away from everything that’s out there right now.”
—Me, My Shelf, and I (blog)

“A complex, intriguing tale rooted in real-world events.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Mysterious, entrancing and dark, Gated brings in just the right amount of paced storytelling with the edge-of-your-reading-seats sense of suspense.”
—TeenReads.com

“An absolutely enrapturing book . . . I couldn’t put it down.”
—In Libris Veritas (blog)

An entertaining and unique entry in a sea of generic YA novels.”
—Fiction Frenzy (blog)

“If you need a summer thriller read with a smartly woven plot and a lamb-to-lion main character, then this book is for you.”
—Great Imaginations (blog)

“An absolutely fascinating read with an original concept and an absolutely brilliant villain! Different with just the right touch of chilling.”
—Fiction Freak (blog)

“Entertaining throughout.”
—Examiner.com

About the Author

AMY CHRISTINE PARKER writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and one ridiculously fat cat. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Shoot to kill this time, okay?" Will winks and pushes me into the tall corn as we walk through the field to the gun range. I push him back and he laughs. The sky is a perfect cloudless blue and the air is hot from the summer sun. It's a day meant for picnics, not pre-end-of-the-world target practice.

"But that's why I have you," I say. I fiddle with the leather strap attached to my rifle, sliding it back and forth across my shoulder until it rests comfortably in the crook of my neck. Turning my face up to his, I'm sure that I'll see his lips curl into a smile at my routine grumbling, but instead he's frowning.

"What if I'm not with you when we're attacked? You can't assume someone else will pull the trigger for you all the time." His hand tugs absently at his ear, a sure sign that he's not joking anymore.

I swallow back my answer and look out past the corn to the prairie beyond. The unspoken words drop into my stomach, making it hurt. The gun range is up ahead. Marie and Brian are already there. The popping sounds of their guns carry over the cornfield, punctuating the sudden awkwardness between Will and me.

"I'm just saying that maybe it's time you took all of this seriously." Will reaches out for my non-gun-toting hand. I hesitate, my fingers twitching in the air. He dips his head and gives me a sidelong smile.

I know he means well. He always means well. He cares about me I am the problem. Exactly three months until the end of the world and I still can't muster up the proper response. I pull in a long breath, glad for the abundance of air around me. Thinking about the end of things always makes me feel like I'm suffocating.

Will chases after my hand with his own until he snares it. He laces his long fingers through mine. "I worry about you, Lyla. I can't be with you every second, even once we're in the shelter. I just want to know you'll do what you have to to survive."

I can't keep a sigh from escaping. We've had this conversation so many times. It's intensifying now because of the target shooting. This is only our fifth time out on the range, and his pestering is reaching epic proportions.

"Come on," I finally say, like he's the one who's holding us up. He squeezes my hand lightly. We walk the last few yards to the open grass and the gun range. I fish my earplugs out of my pocket and stuff them in my ears before Will can say anything more. He leans down, his lanky frame casting a shadow over my face. He's like a barometer--constantly measuring my moods and reporting them back to me in his expressions. His stonewashed-blue eyes are troubled and his freckled nose is crinkled with concern. This means that he thinks that I'm overly anxious. I want to reassure him, if only to get him to look away, but it's as if clouds have suddenly formed and gathered over my head.

Brian's standing behind Marie, his face buried in her dark curls. He's gently guiding her rifle to her cheek for what I'm sure is the hundredth time. Together they aim her gun at the large collection of hay bales across from them. Each hay bale has a life-sized cutout of a person bound to its front. They're aiming at a woman. It's a silhouette, but still it makes my skin tingle when the gun goes off and I see a piece of the plywood lady's chest fly out into the grass. Marie grins at us and her cheeks flush pink.

"Did you see that?" she asks. I can't exactly hear past my earplugs, but I don't need to. She says the same thing every time she manages to land a shot. I paste a smile on my face and walk toward them and out of Will's shadow.

"Nice!" I holler back. I take my usual spot in the grass, across from the hay bale with the man cutout. I'm pretty sure this makes me sexist, but the man target is the only one I can stomach shooting. I lower the rifle from my shoulder and try to psych myself up.

Not enough room for everyone. We can't take them all. They had their chance. We have to protect ours.

I play this litany over and over in my head, hoping that somehow it will make my heart understand. It didn't work the last time and I don't hold out much hope for this time either. How can I take someone's life when he's just scared and looking for help, even if it saves my own?

I glance over at Will. He's shooting at two plywood cutouts: a man and a woman. His rifle is tucked into the space between his chest and his shoulder, and his cheek is welded to the gun's stock. He keeps both eyes open, lines up his sights. There's no hesitation once he gets the sights level. The rifle jumps as he takes the shot and the plywood man's head flies backward. His featureless face searches the sky. Will readjusts and shoots the plywood woman in almost the exact same spot. Her head stays upright, but it's missing its rounded top. He smiles as he lowers his gun and looks at me.

I turn back to my own hay bale and the silent man-board waiting there for me. I pull my rifle up into position and ready my stance. I can feel the others watching me, hoping that for once I'll shoot one of the mandatory targets: head or heart. My bangs are plastered to my forehead and sweat tickles my back as it runs down my spine. I still my body, put my finger on the trigger, and pull. The recoil makes me wince and I shut my eyes. When I open them and look out at the silhouette man, I let out my breath in one relieved rush. The bullet hit exactly where I wanted it to.

"Really, Lyla? The kneecap again?" Marie has her hands on her slim hips and one foot jutted out as if she's suddenly become a seasoned assassin. She can't seem to wrap her mind around my continued reluctance to shoot right.

"It's her tribute to Terminator Two," Will says. "Where the kid orders the Terminator to take nonlethal shots all the time." He doesn't look at me as he walks back to his spot and aims at his target again, but I know that our discussion isn't over. It won't be until I manage to find a way to do what they want, to give in and fight.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Books for Young Readers (August 6, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0449815978
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0449815977
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL750L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.68 x 1.28 x 8.6 inches

Customer Reviews:
129 ratings

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Amy Christine Parker

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AMY CHRISTINE PARKER is the author of the critically acclaimed GATED, ASTRAY, SMASH AND GRAB, and most recently, FLIGHT 171. While she spends much of her time dreaming up new stories, she also likes to travel, go to the movies, and read scary stories late into the night—preferably under the covers with a flashlight. She writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and two very mischievous cats.

CONNECT WITH AMY

Join Amy's mailing list and gain exclusive access to all the latest news about Amy and her books as well as giveaways, writing tips, videos, and upcoming events. Join now and receive a FREE copy of Amy's eerie short story, THE DRESS.

Sign up on her website: www.amychristineparker.com

INTERACT WITH AMY ONLINE:

Twitter: @amychristinepar

Instagram: @amychristinepar

Facebook: @AmyChristineParker

TEN INTERESTING THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AMY:

1. She has an irrational fear of frogs (which is unfortunate since she lives in Florida, aka frog heaven).

2. Bananas Foster is her favorite dessert.

3. She once lived in a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse where her bedroom window looked out over the graveyard across the street. Surprise, surprise, it was haunted.

4. As a child she accidentally set her house on fire not once, but TWICE when she was growing up.

5. Her favorite books as a kid were: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and Harold and the Purple Crayon.

6. Her favorite season is fall.

7. She loves horror movies and books, but cowers under the covers all night if they are really scary.

8. Her nickname is Fuzzy--she has no idea why.

9. She was named for Amy in Little Women, but she identifies more with Jo.

10. She can’t dance. Not even a little bit.

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Alexia Boesen

Awesome Read

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

I have always had such a fascination with cults. The idea that one person is a leader and he has followers,in this case called his flock,is so interesting to me. The idea that these people so blindly follow him without even questioning him at all is simply mind boggling to me. These people in these cults are essentially brainwashed much like the followers of major cult leader Warren Jeffs, were.

These cults seem to recruit certain types of people. People who have experienced significant heartache,like the death of a child or the death of a parent.Or even people who are poor or unmarried. Those types of people are the ones least likely to question the leader, in this case his name was Pioneer. The cults tend to stray away from recruiting people who are more confident and strong minded.

Lyla's family experienced a nightmare when her sister Karen disappeared ten years earlier when Lyla was only 5. 2 years later Pioneer recruited Lyla and her parents to be the beginnings of his flock that would reside in the Community.Ten years later Lyla remembers little of her old life as she has assimilated into her life in the Community.Will is her future husband, no one questions that. They have been intended for each other since Lyla was fourteen years old.

Yet this isn't your typical cult as it is not driven by religion.It is what is known as a doomsday cult. Pioneer believes that the end of the world is near and he is making sure that once it does end, the entire Community can live in the Silo where they will be safe. But a chance meeting between Lyla and an Outsider by the name of Cody, threatens to unearth everything that Lyla has held dear to her. Suddenly the quiet Lyla is questioning everything about the Community and about Pioneer. That way of thinking could cost her, her life as well as the lives of those she loves.

The last third of the book is so heartbreaking and I had tissues in my hands during the ending of it. By the end of the book, my tissues were in shreds and my eyes were red and puffy. Amy Christine Parker did an amazing job with this book.I will definitely buy anything else she writes as this was a spectacular debut. 5 stars to this compelling, riveting and heartbreaking book that broke the formula of books about cults.

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Amy@LivingtoMyHeartsContent

Read to My Heart's Content Reviews: Gated

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

My Thoughts:
Okay, have you ever had one of those moments when you are expecting something else and you get a completely different take on what you were thinking?
Still have no idea what I am talking about? Okay lets do an analogy then:

You order a sweet tea to drink and as you take a sip your taste buds are assaulted with this bubbling sensation as you realize you got a soda instead. And then as you drink it, you realize you really did want the soda.

Now I know you really think I have lost my mind! But that is what happened with Gated. For some strange reason, I was expecting Gated to be about a community ravaged by zombies. I don't know why; its just my mind was zombies and that was the evil I was expecting.
But that isn't what I got. And as I kept reading I realized this book is so much more scarier than zombies because this is something that could and has happened before in our society.

So I had one of my "Duh" moments but I am still glad I picked up this book because it really blew my mind. I never really read any books about religious cults but I now see what I have been missing.
Gated is one of those realistic scary books. As I was reading I couldn't understand how these people could get drawn in to what their leader was "preaching" to them. But as I continued through the book, I realized these characters were already hopeless. A lot of them had given up on society through terrible situations they have been through. And as they hit rock bottom, it was so easy to believe anything.
Each character was written very well. Our protagonist, Lyla, is the one that seems to question everything. Even when she feels guilty for doing it. Its just very disappointing that the parents, who are the ones who should be protecting their children, are so drawn in to what this man is telling them that they will give him free reign over their own free will.

And just as the protagonists were written very well, the antagonist was written doubly well. You can tell the author did some amazing research on cults and serial killers. I really liked how each chapter had quotes from the Leader and then as the book gets further in you get quotes from different killers in our own history.

Gated is one of those dark stories that really grabs us and won't let go. It forces us to take a look at the true monsters that surround us and pushes us to question everything.

I had to give Gated four hearts!

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