Hunger

June 15, 2009
In the sequel to 2008's Gone
, things have only gotten worse for the kids trapped in the small area around Perdido Beach, Calif. After three months, they still have no contact with the outside world, more dangerous mutant animals are cropping up and food supplies are becoming perilously scarce. Even as Caine starts to recover from the confrontation with the town leader (and half-brother) Sam, the evil gaiaphage exerts its influence, manipulating Caine and others in a plan to gain more power. The ongoing divide between kids who have developed powers and ones who haven't also threatens to lead to violence. Grant throws everything at the children, from gory deaths every bit as nasty as in mainstream horror to sexual tension, eating disorders and drug use. The large cast of characters—from a variety of racial and sexual backgrounds—might be hard for some to keep track of, but readers looking for intense, nearly nonstop action and emotional drama will find lots to enjoy, even as the climactic ending sets up another sequel. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up-In the second in a planned six-book series, the children of Perdito Beach, CA, have survived without adults for three months following the FAYZ, a nuclear event that caused everyone over the age of 14 to vanish and an impenetrable barrier to rise for 20 miles around the town. Now their food is almost gone, and in their desperation and fear, the young people are beginning to sort themselves into factions; those without special powers opposing those who have them. To add to the suspense, a terrifying presence that calls itself the Gaiaphage, a being of overwhelming hunger, is insinuating itself into the minds of the susceptible. Like "Gone" (HarperTeen, 2008), this novel is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Nonstop action and recurring scenes of graphic violence, death, and torture will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they race toward the climactic cliff-hanger ending. Give this to teens who liked Stephen Kings "The Stand" (Doubleday, 1990) or William Goldings "Lord of the Flies" (Penguin, 1959)."Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 6-9 Three months after the events of Gone (2008), in which everyone over the age of 14 disappears, food is getting scarce and more kids are developing powers, leading to a battle for control between normals and moofs. A larger and more sinister element emerges as well: the Darkness, awakened and hungry, is infiltrating minds to manipulate children to do its bidding. Disturbing, brilliantly plotted, and boasting a balanced mix of action and scheming, Grants book also features multidimensional characters that embody a range of good and evil. While second books in series sometimes fall short, thats anything but the case here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
In this sequel to Gone, everyone's starving in a new world without adults. The rich kids clash with the townies, the mutants fight the normals, and the insidious Darkness is coming for them all. The dramatic tension peters out after a two-hundred-page climactic battle scene, but fans of dystopian novels will gobble this one up despite its excesses.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)