Book Review: Gone
Gone, by Michael Grant
In the middle of a seemingly-normal day in Perdido Beach, CA, suddenly everyone over the age of 14 vanishes. One second they’re there. The next, they’re simply gone. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, bullies immediately begin taking over. Older, wiser children see to the immediate needs of younger ones. And some children seem to be developing strange powers.
Character development is certainly the strength and focus of this novel. Reluctant heroes emerge. Cruel bullies flourish with no authority. And a bad situation grows worse with the surfacing of dangerous powers in certain children. Since the oldest kids are only 14, they are forced to grow up quickly and problem-solve as best as they have been taught. It’s a startling realistic and brutal account.
I recommend this for older kids, because of the darker themes of violence and death. And the book is fairly long and drawn-out. But the story also contains so many unique characters and vivid events that more than makes up for the length. By the time I got to the highly intense cliffhanger, I wasn’t ready for the book to end. The story of the children left behind continues in Hunger, which I’ll be jumping into eagerly.
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Check back later this month for a chance to win Hunger, courtesy of Harper Teen!
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 am
This book reminds me a lot of the TV Series “The Tribe”. I really loved it as a teenager and tried to see every episode. I’ll give the book a try for sure. The new powers of the children add a new storyline to the known topic.