Suddenly there are no adults, no answers. What would you do? In the blink of an eye, the world changes. The adults vanish without a trace, and those left must do all they can to survive. But everyone's idea of survival is different. Some look after themselves, some look after others, and some will do anything for power...Even kill. For Sam and Astrid, it is a race against time as they try to solve the questions that now dominate their lives...What is the mysterious wall that has encircled the town of Perdido Beach and trapped everyone within? Why have some kids developed strange powers? And can they defeat Caine and his gang of bullies before they turn fifteen and disappear too? It isn't until the world collapses around you that you find out what kind of person you really are. This book offers a chilling portrayal of a world with no rules. When life as you know it ends at 15, everything changes.

About the Author

Michael Grant has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states of the USA, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact he became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn't tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a whole year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Katherine Applegate, their two children, and far too many pets.

Reviews

Gr 7 Up-"One minute the teacher was talking about the Civil War. And the next minute he was gone." Just vanished-along with everyone else over the age of 13 in a 20-mile radius around Perdido Beach, CA. The children left behind find themselves battling hunger, fear, and one another in a novel strongly reminiscent of William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Things go from bad to worse when some of the children begin exhibiting strange powers, animals show signs of freakish mutations, and people disappear as soon as they turn 14. Though an excellent premise for a novel, Gone suffers from a couple of problems. First, it is just too long. After opening with a bang, the initial 200 or so pages limp along before the action begins to really pick up. Secondly, based on the themes of violence, death, and implied sexual intimidation, this is clearly written for an older teen audience who may not appreciate the fact that no one in the book is older than 13. In spite of its faults, Gone is a gripping and gritty read with enough creepy gruesomeness to satisfy readers who have a taste for the macabre. Give this one to the readers who aren't quite ready for Stephen King or Dean Koontz.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"'One of the best books I've read for a very long time' Rachel Airey, bookseller; 'Engrossing, riveting and unputdownable' Karen Hellewell, bookseller; 'Gone...is an excellent mystery, boldly conceived and with a plot teenagers will revel in...it's going to be big' Bookseller; 'a tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless' Booklist; 'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have been a little like this' Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review); 'OMG. This book will keep you up all night like it did me' Booklover12, amazon.com"