Gone

I have had Gone by Michael Grant checked out from the library since beginning of October.  Don't worry, I've been renewing it; I don't have any late fees.  It'd be a sad story if a former librarian had numerous late feeds.

I always have a reading list a mile long.  I had been wanting to read Gone for awhile b/c I had it at the library I worked at.   I had several high school students that loved this book as well as the entire series.  I finally decided to give the book a go for myself b/c the book sounded quite fascinating.

Amazon had the following book description for Gone:
"In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.

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 and war is imminent.

The first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, Gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way."

I thought a dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy, type of book where everyone over 15 disappears sounded interesting.  I thought you could have quite a few discussions on the concept, and I was quite intrigued with where the author was going to take the story.

I've had the book from the library for awhile, but unfortunately, I could never really get into it.  I read over a 100 pages (there are more than 500 pages in the book), but I just struggled with it.  The book never really grabbed me, and that was a bit disappointing to me.  I wanted to really like Gone, but I just didn't.  I think I'd give the book 3 out of 5 stars.  

I think the writing is fine, and the concept is interesting, but I think Grant almost had too much going on.  There was the idea of everyone gone and only kids left.  That in itself is a bit like Lord of the Flies with a modern twist and could work well.  However, Grant added creatures, the animals, superpowers, and even a bit of a love story.  

Some of you might say that it is a series; you have to have a lot going on and things will begin to make more and more sense with each book.  However, I think when you bite off a bit more from the beginning it becomes difficult to grab readers and keep them interested rather than leaving them frustrated and confused.

All in all, I think this book is okay.  I think some people that love the dystropian books as well as the fantasy/sci-fi type books will enjoy The Gone Series by Michael Grant.  However, I don't think it is one of those books that almost everyone loves, like Hunger Games or Divergent (just thinking the dystopian line of books).  

I think if you are looking for a new book, or your middle school/high school reader loves dystopian books then give this one a go.  It's a clean read, and entertaining enough.  

Not everyone loves every book, but there is always a book for everyone.  Who knows, this may be the one for you or your child.  It's worth a shot.  Reading is the best thing you can do to improve reading fluency and comprehension, writing, language development, etc.  I just hope that everyone can light the fire and love for reading.   

Happy Reading!