The Last Safe Place on Earth

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Fifteen-year-old Todd sets out to undo the workings of an extremist religious group; in a starred review, PW called this "taut [and] suspenseful... a highly topical tale." Ages 10-up. (Aug.)

The ALAN Review - William R. Mollineaux

When a knife fight break out in their children's junior high school, the Tobin family moves to Tranquility Lane in Walden Woods-seemingly, the last safe place on earth. However, several incidents dispel this illusion: a babysitter terrifies the younger Tobin daughter by convincing her that Halloween is the devil's night; a drunken joyride culminates in death; drug dealers infest Founders Park; the school administration refuses to sanction an AIDS Awareness meeting during school hours; and the Religious Right launches a book-banning crusade against The Diary of a Young Girl and The Chocolate War. Peck impeccably spins an absorbingly realistic story that will force high-school readers to question and examine their values, as well as the pernicious effects of censorship. Additionally, readers will identify with the humorous, insightful first-person narrator, sophomore Todd Tobin, as he discovers that there is no safe place-anywhere.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-With his picture-perfect family, sophomore Todd Tobin lives on Tranquility Lane in Walden Woods. Elitist, undoubtedly racist, and subtly sexist, this is a place where people assume they are safe from harm. Peck paints the surface of this world as attractive and provides a first-person narrator with immense appeal and a fine sense of humor. This calm facade is the backdrop for a truly terrifying novel. Laurel, who babysits for Todd's sister Marnie, is a teen who clutches her Christian self-righteousness as a cloak of safety because of her dysfunctional family. Her talk of devils, hell, and evil traumatize the little girl. First the child has nightmares, and then Todd discovers her trying to flush her witch costume down the toilet in an eerie night scene. Other issues, such as censorship in the community and Todd's geeky friend C.E.'s struggle to care for himself due to an absent father and an alcoholic mother cause the family to pull together. Parental involvement and basic neighborliness are resurrected as solutions. The fundamentalist Christian right is depicted as both frightened and frightening. Walter Dean Myers's Darnell Rock Reporting (Delacorte, 1994) is more lighthearted and Avi's Nothing But the Truth (Orchard, 1991) more distant from the characters. Through Todd's affection for Laurel, Peck makes readers see that she and her family (if not her church) are not just the opposition, but people entrapped by their narrow-mindedness. The scary and real consequences of letting censors go unchallenged is not denied. As Todd says, ``I must have known there is no safe place.''-Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library

Hazel Rochman

Like a heavy-handed warning, Peck dramatizes the danger that is among us, even in what appears to be the civilized order of the suburbs. Todd feels safe in his comfortable family, who joyfully celebrate Halloween, go to church, and try to be decent, responsible people. As a sophomore in high school, he figures he's "reasonably normal 20. 20. 20. 20working real hard to be noticed without being different." He gets a crush on Laura, who baby-sits his little sister--only to discover that Laura is a fundamentalist Christian who brainwashes and terrifies the child by telling her about evil witches and devils. Hate groups and book censors in the community are openly trying to ban books that don't fit their views. And Todd discovers hidden censorship, even among the kids themselves, who don't want to know about things like AIDS. Where are community values? The didacticism is loud and clear, and the foreshadowing is heavy. One teacher even acts as spokesperson, spelling out the messages, and the class discussion of "Fahrenheit 451" is a commentary on what's happening now. Yet, as always, Peck writes with wit and warmth that will sweep teens into a world they'll recognize. He has a sharp eye for the poetic image that captures the contemporary scene (after hearing of a fatal car accident, Todd says, "I was still collapsing the aerial on the phone"). Most moving is Todd's discovery of his own failure: he hadn't seen that his best friend was in serious trouble.