Guest Reviewer: Gone

Gone (Gone #1)
By: Michael Grant
Guest Reviewer: Alicia Scully, MPL Youth Services Intern
(5 out of 5 stars)

“One minute the teacher was talking about the Civil War. And the next minute he was gone. There. Gone. No 'poof.' No flash of light. No explosion.” 

With no warning, suddenly everyone over the age of fifteen disappears and the kids left over find that they are encased in some kind of dome stretching 20 miles across. Sam and his new found friends must try to understand their situation as well as how to survive. To make matters worse, a group of kids from the prep school have taken over and Sam isn't so sure that they're as kindhearted as they appear. There are other issues as well--the animals are starting to mutate in strange ways. The premise is extremely fascinating and the pace is quick enough but the narrative shifts points of view abruptly and there isn't a strong connection at first to make this a good move initially. Eventually this makes sense and it does help to pick up the pace toward then end, so it isn't too much of a problem. The book is extremely violent and shows immense instances of human cruelty, even more so than the Hunger Games books. If you're squeamish and can't handle graphic details, this may not be the book for you, but the plot is well worth it in the end and not all of the mysteries are revealed in this installment.