Gone-- Michael Grant

Rarely do I find a book that I could recommend to teens of any age and gender. However, Gone by Michael Grant is one of them. Grant is the coauthor of the popular children's series "Animorphs", but this book is decidedly teen.

In Gone, a giant impermeable dome surrounds the Perdido Beach area of California... but even more alarming is the fact that all people over the age of 14 have disappeared. They literally vanished, all at once, and never returned. Gone is the story of the children who were left behind, how they cope with a world without adults, and the micro-society they form. And, on top of everything else, some of the kids have developed superpowers, like shooting fire out of their hands, superfast speed, and super strength. However, not just the kids are developing powers. Animals are mutating too, and are becoming more dangerous to humans every day. How did this happen? How will they all survive?

While the book is decidedly science fiction (superpowers and an altered universe, hello?), it actually reads very realistically. There are both male and female main characters, although the story is narrated by a boy, and I feel both boys and girls would be interested in it. It is definitely a clean read, and there were places where the author could have dirtied it up a bit and chose not to. It is kind-of a newer, hipper, more scientific, and more full of adventure Lord of the Flies. I would recommend this book to any teen within the 12-19 age bracket. Also, I just learned this will be a 6 part series, and the newest book will be published each summer. Happy reading!