Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney

It's a little weird finding a new book by a person who was writing when I was in Middle School. Caroline Cooney is the author of The Face On the Milk Carton. Oddly, I'm not sure how many people remember the book. I'm not sure how much I even remember the book, but the title stuck with me.

Mitchell (Mitty) Blake is a junior in high school. He's a smart kid, but he's kind of given up on school and junior year is not going well. However, a biology paper is standing between him staying in the only class with Olivia, who he has a crush on. So, Mitty decides to actually try on this one.

The paper is on infectious disease. Each student must pick some type of disease. Mitty picks Variola Major. I didn't know what Variola Major was. Turns out it's smallpox. Mitty picks it because he finds a couple of leftover scabs in an envelope in an old medical textbook.  Of course having found those scabs, Mitty might now have a very serious problem.

It's a fun read and quick. There was something stilted in the delivery but the story was engaging enough that it didn't matter.

This is a good solid offering for kids about 12 years old and up and particularly those with an interest in the sciences or medicine.