Throughout the entire novel, Jessie is aware that people seem to be withholding information from her, from her own parents at the beginning of the novel: “Did adults everywhere have so many secrets, or was it just in Clifton?” (Haddix 6), to the middle when she is speaking to (whom she presumes is) Isaac Neeley: “He was one of Clifton’s men, only concerned about some mysterious ‘research’” (136) to the nurses not allowing Jessie to watch television or tell her where her parents were: “Why wouldn’t anyone answer any questions?” (166). She manages to get the reporters to believe her, and saves the children of the town. We learn that the reason Neeley (who is actually a scientist named Frank Lyle) allowed the children of Clifton to get sick, and not provide modern medicines to cure them (as had been promised to the resident of the town), was because he was trying to create a “perfect” gene pool in Clifton, and allowing only the strong to survive infections and diseases was his way of weeding out the weak.Īnother important issue Jessie faced in the novel was the idea of secrets, and the impact they can have on others. Jessie escapes them, and calls a new conference herself.
The man she meets, however, is an imposter, and he and the owner of Clifton attempt to kill Jessie in order to keep the goings-on of the town a secret. She contacts a man, Isaac Neeley, whom her mother said would help her call a news conference and bring attention to the Clifton resident’s predicament.
After she escapes through a hidden manhole, we follow her escapades in this “new” and “future” world, and are brought into her thoughts as she contemplates all of the new and exciting technologies and advancements she encounters on her journey. Although Jessie is stunned, she agrees to be brave and leave to get aid for the children.
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