Pfeffer, Susan Beth (2008). The Dead and the Gone. New York, New York: Harcourt Books. ISBN: 9780152063110
336 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: Dystopia, Future, Climate, Asteroid, Family, Relationships
Reader's Annotation
In New York City, Alex Morales struggles to keep his younger sisters alive and together after an asteroid crashed into the moon, creating disasters around the world that make the thought of any future survival difficult to believe.
Summary
This is a companion novel to Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It (2007), and in this novel, we are transported to New York City to see the devastating effects the asteroid crashing into the moon has created. 17-year-old Alex Morales' parents both disappeared in the disasters that followed the crash, leaving him to protect his two younger sisters. As food gets scarce and people around them begin to get desperate, Alex wonders how he will be able to survive, let alone take care of his younger sisters as well.
Notes
Although it takes place during an incredible disaster, the emphasis in this story is really on the people- in this case, Alex Morales and his love for his little sisters. The lengths he is willing to go to ensure that they will survive and stay together are heartwrenching.
Author Information
