The Dead and the Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
I'm giving it 5 stars out of 5

Alex Morales is a 17-year-old Puerto Rican boy living with his family in New York. He has two younger sisters, Briana and Julie and he his parents who he calls Mami and Papi. Everything is going pretty normal for Alex. He's the vice president of his school and he's looking forward to getting in to a great college.

But in one moment everything changes. Something huge hit the moon and knocked it out of place. It's now closer to Earth causing a lot of horrible changes including tidal waves, flooding, blackouts, and overall panic. According to many people the Earth is coming to an end. Alex's father was in Puerto Rico when it happened and they haven't heard from him since. And his mother was called in to the hospital where she works and Alex is afraid that since she hasn't contacted them that she died when there was a flood in the subway.

All of a sudden Alex realizes that he is the sole caregiver to his two sisters. He has no idea when his parents will be back (if ever) and he's terrified. People all around New York are dropping like flies. Bodies line the streets. People are going crazy trying to get their hands on food. Nothing that seemed important before is important now. All that matters is staying alive. And Alex is determined to care for his sisters and keep them alive no matter what. But is that really possible with what has happened to the Earth?

Wow this book was intense. It's scary in all ways possible. Reading about the bodies lining the streets of New York brought shivers to my spine. It's hard to explain in words how basically crazy this book is. If you like really intense books then this is definitely a book for you. Also be sure to read Susan's other book, Life As We Knew It. It deals with the same issue that's discussed in this book. I haven't read it but I'm sure it's just as good and frightening as this book.