I'm always wary about Young Adult, and so I usually tend to stay away from it. But I work at a library and every time this one came my way I found myself intrigued, so, I finally gave it a go this summer. And for a YA book, it was exactly what I wanted.
To be very brief with the plot, bunch of kids 14 and under are suddenly all that remains in their city. All adults and people over the age have simply "poofed" away. You can imagine the trouble. Kids having to assume responsibilities they never had to before. Some of that is a little stressful, as I sat reading I kept thinking about all the little kids left alone in houses, fires starting, and so on and so on, which the writer does cover. Anyway, yes, stressful situation.
To add to the stress, they are surrounded by a great, strange dome. And to make matters even worse, there are mutations among animals and people too. Needless to say, it's not good.
The book centres around a boy named Sam (and I know that these days people are totally against having a male hero, but I'm still someone who likes it, so it was another reason to read) who has his own problems and secrets. When the "FAYZ" hits (the event, you could say) he is suddenly someone people look up to. And he doesn't want it. So when the rich kids from the other school arrive, it's almost a blessing. But what their plans are isn't exactly nice.
I really did like this book. It's the first in a series of I believe 6 (?) and once I finish what I have on my kindle at the mo I'll be back into it. I like Micheal Grant's writing style and the plot was complicated, yet understandable enough to keep me interested.
My main complaint would be just how...helpless these kids are near the beginning. Even simple things like cooking their own meals, or driving are almost insurmountable tasks for them once mummy and daddy disappear. It makes you wonder how they survive at all, and I was a little irritated, not thinking the author gave them enough credit. Kids are, I have to say, smarter than this. At least all the kids I've ever met.
Be that as it may, they do fairly well when it comes to fighting and breaking into nuclear power plants.
So, reasons I would suggest this book to people: It's an easy read, but not simple. It deals with a very Lord of the Flies type situation. There are the bullies, the leaders, the smart kids, the useful kids and the really bad ones. Kids cope with murder and death, changes in their bodies (and NOT the normal kinds), they struggle to make a new world for themselves, struggle with their emotions, fight to survive and figure out what exactly has happened. There's sibling rivalry, the rather unfortunate side of just how cruel kids can be to each other, copious amounts of junk food eating, harsh and very real views on the problems all kids face and some other scary surprises.
And also some really amusing coyotes.
So if you want a book, I say pick this one up. It's larger than most YA books you'll find on the shelf, but for me, that's usually a good thing. By the end of it, I was wanting more, and very much appreciating the rather dark direction it took. Looking forward to book two.
