Gone
By Michael Grant
Pages: 558
Published by Harper Teen
★★★★
By Mel
First of all, I must apologize. School came in a whirl-wind of homework and all sorts of after-school activities. I barely find time to read anymore (a sad fact I am desperately trying to change) and thus I find it hard to write reviews for the books I do complete. So, I am sorry to admit that I am in fact not reviewing the many books I read in August, September, and October. There are just too many to find the time to review and some of them I have forgotten too much about to write a review for them. But (with much nagging from Emma) I am finally sitting at my computer and writing a review for the last book I read, Gone.
This book was recommended to me by Emma. You may have even read her earlier review of this story. I have not found Gone as exciting as Emma had. Don't get me wrong, I do still love this book. But, after reading Emma's review of it and then reading it myself I have to say that it was not at all what I expected.
In Gone, one seemingly random day everyone from fifteen and older just disappear in Perdido Beach, they 'poof' as Quinn says. At first all the children are confused. What happened to their teachers? But they quickly recover and run away from the school and raid the stores and gas stations for candy with no adults to stop them. Then, by night time they start to miss their mommies and daddies. They all become scared and don't know what to do. Everyone looks up to fourteen-year old Sam Temple for help and answers. A few years ago he earned the nick-name School-Bus Sam after saving a school-bus of children from a fatal plunge into the ocean off a cliff. Now with his hero status he could easily become mayor. When Sam declines, not wanting to be a leader, bullies take his place. In a world with no adults, bullies rule.
Soon, even worse bullies from Coates Academy (the school for troubled kids) take over Perdido Beach. Caine is the new mayor with is superior powers and great speech. Not only are all the adults gone, but children are also developing special powers. Some can run at super speed, move objects with their minds, or shoot light beams from their hands. It's a crazy world of endless terror for these children and who's going to save them from a terrible leader? Where did the adults go? And what happens when you turn fifteen? The kids call it the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) but no one actually knows what this new world is and why it happened.
While I loved the book and its story line, it was a bit slow for me. It seemed to drag on. But, it is still a great book to read that I encourage others to give it a try. I am currently reading the second book, Hunger.
In Gone, one seemingly random day everyone from fifteen and older just disappear in Perdido Beach, they 'poof' as Quinn says. At first all the children are confused. What happened to their teachers? But they quickly recover and run away from the school and raid the stores and gas stations for candy with no adults to stop them. Then, by night time they start to miss their mommies and daddies. They all become scared and don't know what to do. Everyone looks up to fourteen-year old Sam Temple for help and answers. A few years ago he earned the nick-name School-Bus Sam after saving a school-bus of children from a fatal plunge into the ocean off a cliff. Now with his hero status he could easily become mayor. When Sam declines, not wanting to be a leader, bullies take his place. In a world with no adults, bullies rule.
Soon, even worse bullies from Coates Academy (the school for troubled kids) take over Perdido Beach. Caine is the new mayor with is superior powers and great speech. Not only are all the adults gone, but children are also developing special powers. Some can run at super speed, move objects with their minds, or shoot light beams from their hands. It's a crazy world of endless terror for these children and who's going to save them from a terrible leader? Where did the adults go? And what happens when you turn fifteen? The kids call it the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) but no one actually knows what this new world is and why it happened.
While I loved the book and its story line, it was a bit slow for me. It seemed to drag on. But, it is still a great book to read that I encourage others to give it a try. I am currently reading the second book, Hunger.
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