Review of Gone by Michael Grant

One minute, everything is normal, and the next, no adults in sight. All adults and kids over the age of fifteen are “poofed” or “disappeared.” Has it got something to do with the nuclear power station in Perdido Beach? Nobody can figure out what is happening, not even Astrid, the genius. Kids are beginning to get anxious and to look for some direction; Sam is an obvious, but reluctant leader. He is afraid his strange powers may have started all of this. Astrid is aware that her autistic brother, Little Pete, also has special powers, but she is reluctant to let Sam know. Astrid, little Pete, Quinn (Sam’s surfing buddy) and Edilio form the faction for good. Orc and his followers challenge Sam for leadership and are the bullies. Coates Academy, the School on the Hill for “troubled” kids, has many kids who also have varied special powers... Caine, their ringleader, comes down to the town with a handful of his followers and sets himself up as a leader. At first he pretends to have everyone's best interest at heart, but it is soon obvious that this is not the case. The elements of surprise are many and varied. Will Sam get “poofed" on his fifteenth birthday? Will he take the fight to Caine, and if so, who will win? Gone is a very fast-paced read with many twists and turns in the plot and is, I feel, an obvious book for a sequel with many of the plot elements already set in motion. Review by Teresa Kerrigan