Gone by Michael Grant
Reviewed by Aaron Stagoff-Belfort of Montclair

Imagine a world without adults, no one over the age of fourteen, everyone GONE. GONE will make you wish your parents never disappear. This thriller by Michael Grant is set in an average town called Perdido Beach, CA. A boy named Sam Temple is plowing through another day of normal boring school when the teacher suddenly disappears. Disorder mounts as the school goes wild. As the word spreads the kids realize that everyone over the age of fourteen has disappeared.

Sam is chosen as reluctant leader of Perdido Beach because of earlier heroics in a school bus accident. Meanwhile, town bullies like Orc and his group of thugs threaten to take over. Sam’s best friend Quinn and a long time crush of Sam’s, Astrid, join in a quest that starts at an exclusive private school in Perdido called Coates Academy. There Sam comes to a breath-taking realization: an infinite barrier separates Perdido Beach from the rest of the world, and all grownups including parents, cops, doctors and teachers have vanished.

Later, Sam comes to find that just as his relationship with Astrid is improving, Orc and his town bullies have seized power of Perdido Beach. They have cruelly nicknamed this alternate world the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) after a nuclear accident at the local power plant that happened ages ago. Sam and company find Astrid’s retarded brother, Littlie Petey, after searching the local power plant. Looking back on footage taken at the power plant they realize that there was a code red and somehow someone stopped a ghoulish meltdown from occurring. Meanwhile, animals are mutating and the kids themselves find out they have great but perilous powers. Things such as shooting blue light, controlling gravity and reading the power level of others are the tools of this dangerous trade.

When the group returns to town they see black SUV’s coming down the road. Coates Academy kids lead by a boy named Caine come into town, and a fight develops between the townies and rich kids. The shocking events that occur next are all part of the twists and turns in the captivating, fierce novel by Michael Grant. Michael Grant’s GONE was an amazing and captivating novel for ages 9 and up, but best suited for teenagers. The story had a little bit of everything: romance, action, suspense and a touch of the supernatural. This book was AWESOME!!!!!! I give it a10 out of 10. It made me never want to put it down and is the kind of book you could read time and time again. Michael Grant’s book had a well built climax and the twists and turns were mind blowing. I could completely imagine being in the characters’ shoes. This book was fantasy, though if you thought about it more deeply you could learn important lessons about government, children and the rise and fall of leaders. Grant has put out a book that was could almost be considered adult reading because of the melancholy throughout and a bittersweet ending.

There are no real cons or weaknesses to Mr. Grant’s writing. There is some violence and gore but this goes along with the story and is worth bearing just to read every second of this book. It is one of the best books I have reviewed thus far. This sort of book reminds you what good writing is and really makes you want to read.