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Panic Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Panic


Heather and Dodge each decide to play Panic, a dangerous and deadly game to win a large sum of money. Growing up in Carp, New York, nothing really happens of interest, except for the game Panic. Each summer, graduating seniors play life threatening, thrilling games, set up by anonymous judges, for a large sum of money. This year's pot was the highest ever, $67,000.
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After breaking up with her boyfriend, Matt, and feeling like a nobody, Heather chooses to play Panic. Living with her alcoholic mother, Krista, and her step-father Bo, life is not easy for her; she is left with the responsibility of caring for her younger sister, Lily.

Dodge is playing Panic for a very solid reason: revenge. A few years back, Ray and Luke crashed their car with his sister, Dayna in it, leaving her paralyzed. Too afraid to outright harm the two boys, he chooses Panic to seek revenge on Ray. Luke is now away at college. Dodge also wants to give all the winning money to Dayna for rehab.

Under the cover of darkness, all Panic games are played. High school students bring chairs and beer to watch each test. Heather arrives with her best friend, Bishop and Natalie to the first game. She successfully jumps from a water tower into the bay below, as does, Natalie and Dodge. Bishop is not playing Panic and begs Heather not to participate, needing to keep her safe. With the burn of her breakup with Matt, she insists on playing.

Losing her job, Heather meets Anne, who hires her to assist with caring for her animals: chickens, dogs, horses and two tigers. Heather becomes close with Anne and enjoys her job. Anne becomes an ally as Heather's home life deteriorates more and more. Krista and Bo are continually hosting parties and one night, Heather arrives home in the pouring rain to find, Lily standing outside, soaking wet. Lily says to Heather that she was told to stay outside. In a rage, Heather tells her mother off and collects clothing for both her and Lily. Promising Lily that she never has to go home again, they live out of her car for a few weeks until a cop tells them that the car is reported stolen. Not wanting to go home and nowhere to turn, she asks Anne for a room. Both girls move in with Anne and find happiness for the first time in a long time.

Dodge is finding his home life changing as well. His mother has a new boyfriend; Bill Kelly, the chief of police and so does his sister, a waiter from the restaurant next door where his mother works. Bill is helping his mother and Dayna by taking her to rehab and for paying some of the doctor bills. Dodge feels what he once knew was slipping away and if he would just win Panic, everything would return to the way it was before Dayna was paralyzed.

As the summer progresses, each game of Panic becomes more difficult building up to the final event: jousting. At one of the games, a house was lit on fire where all the players were searching for a bonus item. Heather, Dodge and Natalie are caught in a room by the fire. Dodge is able to save the girls but they still end up in the hospital for smoke inhalation. A body was also found in the basement of the burned down house; it was the son of Bill Kelly. A murder investigation is under way and so is the search for the Panic players.

Love is also blooming. Heather is falling hard for Bishop; she realizes that she has always had feelings for him and attempts to tell him one night at a party. She misunderstands Bishop's feelings, hurt, she blows him off. Dodge and Natalie are also falling in love. They are traveling a rocky rock as well.

With the death of Bill Kelly's son, Heather thought the games would be put on hold; but they are not. A difficult challenge is made for Natalie; she must stay in the tiger's pen for a full ten seconds. Natalie fails this test, and is out of Panic, leaving Dodge, Heather and Ray as players. Heather consoles Natalie at her loss and forgets to lock the pen correctly. The next day, the tigers are missing. She needs to tell Anne and fears she will hate her and turn her and Lily out on the streets. To her surprise, Anne is only mad but still cares for her deeply. After the disaster with the tigers, Bishop shows up and tells Heather that he is a judge and that was what he has wanted to tell her since the beginning of Panic. He also set the house on fire and is afraid he is responsible for Bill Kelly's son's death. He tells Natalie he became a judge, so he could help her win. Bishop turns himself into the police for the fire and death of Bill Kelly's son. Bishop learns that Bill Kelly's son was already dead before the fire by a drug overdose.

The next day, one of the tigers is shot and killed but the second tiger is still missing. The jousting event is now upon the players. Dodge prepares his car to explode by placing a homemade bomb near the engine. He plans on knocking Heather out of the joust and then switching vehicles with Ray. His plan does not go as planned; Natalie, fearing he is going to hurt Ray, gets Luke and Heather to help kidnap Dodge. Dodge is out of the joust. It's just Heather and Ray now. Heather takes Dodge's car, not realizing it is rigged to explode. Dodge is helpless and can only pray that nothing happens to Heather. At the joust, Heather's car ignites, and bursts into flames. She escapes the burning car, and wins Panic. Ray, avoiding the loose tiger in the middle of the road, swerves first, losing.

When Heather receives the winning money, she divides it between herself, Dodge and Natalie. Heather enters community college to study veterinary services with her portion, Dodge gives most of his money to Bill Kelly for a memorial for his son and Natalie takes up acting classes. Bishop is away at school but comes home on the weekends to visit Heather and complete community service for his part in the fire.
Best part of story, including ending: I liked this story because it was easy to connect with the main characters, Heather and Dodge, as well as enjoying the apprehension around the game Panic

The review of this Book prepared by Karenann Knotoff a Level 2 American Robin scholar

Chapter Analysis of Panic

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 10%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 50%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 20%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 20% Tone of story    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story:    -   2000+ (Present) Spying/Terrorism Thriller    -   Yes Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:    -   game where people hunted Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Age:    -   a teen Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American

Setting

Small town?    -   Yes Small town people:    -   nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Panic

Lauren Oliver Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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