The Combination

Night Fall ™ #7

by Elias Carr

Dante only thinks about football. Miranda's worried about applying to college. Neither one wants to worry about a locker combination too. But they'll have to learn their combos fast―if they want to survive. Dante discovers that an insane architect designed St. Philomena High, and he's made the school into a doomsday machine. If too many kids miss their combinations, no one gets out alive.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal

114 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Elias Carr lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, in an old house where all the locks have keys.

Reviews

[Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the combination was an interesting book. Throughout the whole thing it had me on the edge of my seats. Dante and Miranda are interesting characters because they are in high school and if they get there locker combination wrong, then something terrible will happen. It keeps you intrigued throughout the whole book to know what will happen. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes non-fiction and apocalypse books. If you think you might like this book, you will .

[Sheryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

School locker combinations ca be difficult at times, but the ones at St. Philomena High are LETHAL.

[Kealoha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Dante and Meranda there not worried about their combinations but soon they found out that the school was a doomsday device and if too many fail their combination lock no one will survive, soon Martha and Dante finds out that the lockers aren't normal locks they have pictures so they ask their teachers if they have to combinations for the lockers. This book is really interesting because this almost connects to my real life because I mostly forget my locker combination but my locker has numbers not 8 different pictures or symbols.

[Leslie Preddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding your locker then getting frustrated when the combination doesn’t work is very normal for high school students. There is something very strange and frightening about the lockers at St. Philomena High School. They are arched and all the combinations use the Signs of the Zodiac. They are so large that students can easily fit inside them. The school is celebrating its 100th Anniversary. Built by a European architect, some community members question his sanity. Why did he put in unusual lockers?

Dante, Vincent, and Miranda start the new school year expecting normal. What they face is doom if the right combinations are not found in time. Why does Dr. Spangler tell them not to try to open the lockers? Where are the rest of the students?

This sinister novel is a quick read and perfect for the month of Halloween. Scary but not enough to make you lock your doors. The suspense will make you wish you could read faster. Is the ending the end? Hmmm. . .

Looking for other fast yet scary reads for October? The Combination is one of twelve books in The Night Fall Collection.
(Review also shared in the Indianapolis Southsider Voice)

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dante is a football star; Miranda is an academic talent. They both attend a school with elaborate, gothic architecture. The lockers are unusual, with symbols rather than numbers. One day chaos breaks out with lockers disappearing, flying bats, and a rampaging librarian. Dante and Miranda must figure out (and stop!) what's going on before the whole school becomes a Doomsday machine.
Quick read with lots of action and adventure, short pages, and lots of appeal for reluctant/struggling readers.

[Gracelinn Steeger]

The Combination is about two kids named Dante and Miranda.They have to learn their locker combinations fast for high school or they will not survive.But they are more worried about dance and football.An architect has turned the high school into a doomsday.If too many kids don't learn their combinations nobody gets out alive.Readers who like mysteries will like this book because it is a really good mystery.You can also relate to this book if you are in high school.It is also a very thrill-riding experience.

[Tariq Abdul-Quddoos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I think was very good for someone who wants a quick and to the point. The Combination had a lot of action and was a very easy read but does not govern in depth. Honestly if there is another part of this series I would not read it for my pleasure just because I like books with more of a background and this book did not have very much. I would recommend this book for younger readers because it will grab there attention quickly and not lose them and the book is also very short.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hate to say it, but I just didn't think it was scary at all. I didn't care about any of the characters, so I couldn't be worried about them. I also thought it was poorly written. I read so much YA lit now, and since there's so much really, really good stuff out there, it's easy to spot the poorly written stuff.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

'It was OK' sums it up nicely. The story has a lot of potential and gets straight to the action, but some of the characters are really poorly developed. When there is action, the scenes build up, but then the problems are solved in a flash by the most uninventive means, ruining any suspense. Ah well, at least it was easy to finish in under an hour!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A local high school designed by an insane architect is on the cusp of ruin. The locker combinations use hieroglyphs instead of numbers. Students who don't get their combinations right trigger a string of events that could lead to the doom of the entire school. Can Dante and Miranda save the students and the school?

[Syd C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I couldnt stop reding it. Dante the football star and miranda have to work together to save their school it is a good book demostrating people sticking together to solve th mysterious events that are happening.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misdial that locker combination and go straight to hell!! A frustration we've all felt but with deadly consequences. I just love the "horror-lite" stories in this series

[Johnathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was ok it was kind of weird. but other than that is was good. Every thing was good but towards the end i got kind of lost.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice series for middle school horror fans.

[TA Flatland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this today over my lunch break, I though it was actually well written and gripping for students.

[Clyde Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

really GOOD; I think middle schoolers will really like this series