Review of Gone

Gone by Michael Grant
(Gone # 1)
Page Number: 558
Official Website:Here
Rating:
Quote: "It couldn't last. Everyone was killing time. But if all they did was kill time, time would end up killing them."
Description:In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Review: What would you do if all the people ages 15 and over suddenly vanished?Right in the middle of learning about the Civil War, nonetheless? Well, that's what happens to 14-year-old Sam Temple, along with his friends Astrid and Quinn (who I kept picturing like a blonde Quinn Fabrey from Glee, but in this case, Quinn is a male.)

Gone , the first in a series of books, is a scary book. Well, at least in my case. Everyone "poofs"from the small, isolated town of Perdido Beach, California. The front of the book has a map (which I now realize, I love books with maps, because it makes me more into the story) showing Perdido Beach. Certain kids have to take on the task of nurse, pre-school teacher, police officer, firefighter, and McDonald's owner. Everyone has to do something to keep the Fayz running. (They call it the Fayz because a nickname for Perdido Beach is Fallout Alley. So Fayz stands for Fallout Alley Youth Zone.)

So our friend Sam, who is discovering more about himself as the book progresses, is trying to find out the source of the disappearing act, and where all the adults go. Sam takes on sort of leader of the Fayz, until Caine Soren arrives, from the prestigious Coates Academy. Along with him is his right hand woman, Diana; Number 1 Bully, Drake; and computer expert, Jack. They don't only come with plans to rule the Fayz, but with powers of their own.

Alternating between chapters, you learn about Lana, who is driving with her grandfather and dog, Patrick, when the "poof" occures. She's trapped in the desert with her dog, and discovers she has a power all of her own. She makes enemies with a pack of talking coyotes, who may or may not have shown her the cause of the disappearing adults.

Gone shows the dark side of having no adult supervision and no rules. I remember the Jimmy Nuetron movie where all the adults disappeared, but of course they couldn't show the problems because it was a Nickolodeon movie. However, in Gone, medication runs low, the head nurse, who is only 13 years old, doesn't know how to help people, and bullies take over.

Gone also includes Mary, who takes care of the preschool kids in Perdido Beach. She's learning how to take responsibility of others who cannot help themselves. Also there is Arthur, who runs the McDonalds. When problems of running out of food arises, Arthur steps in and takes over the only McDonalds.

Overall, Gone is going to be in my Top Favorite Books of All Time list. It's just so, scary seeing ll these kids fear thir fifteenth birthdays and doing jobs that usually adults do. Next in the series: Hunger. By saying I can't wait would be an understatement.