Gone - Michael Grant


ISBN: 978-0061448768
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 10+
Reader’s Annotation: Have you ever wanted all the adults in your world to disappear -no more parents, teachers and annoying older people? What would you do if this actually happened?
Summary: Imagine one minute you’re talking to your mom, and the next minute she’s disappeared. Not only your mother though, but every mother, every person over the age of 14. This is exactly the situation that 13 year old Sam finds himself in. The town falls apart as young kids are forced to find solutions to everyday problems; who will take care of the babies, run the power plant and turn off all the electricity. Sam, and his friends, are soon pitted against kids from the Coates Academy on the hill; both trying to retain authority in a new world.
Evaluation: Like Lord of the Flies, both groups suffer casualties as they try to discover where everyone has gone and why. Add a twist of psychic power, and Grant has given the reader a rich world to explore in further sequels. Both frightening and haunting in it's plot, Gone is a title that will stay with readers long after the last page is turned. Readers just may find themselves looking at the adults in their life with appreciation and gratitude.
Author Info: The first in a trilogy.
Booktalk Ideas: In a world without adults; what would you do first?
Selection: I love this concept. It’s dystopian with a twist. It’s not that you can’t truth the adults (the usual), but that there are no adults.