In the After

In this dystopian novel listeners are led down the primrose path to the City of New Hope, a seeming Garden of Eden that promises a new future for the survivors of "the floraes." Julia Whelan gives a commanding performance as Amy, the young protagonist who survives the green globs of terror with wit and cunning. It looks like her life has returned to normal--better than normal, even--until she finds herself questioning the principles of her new society. Whelan's vocal arsenal of characters--Amy herself; her mother; the silent toddler, Baby; and even the wily Dr. Reynolds--are all superbly portrayed. Her tempo complements the quick and clever plot, which leaves listeners breathless with anticipation. Listeners who want a heart-thumping ride will find that this audiobook and Julia Whelan deliver. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

August 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Readers barely have a chance to meet 14-year-old Amy before the world ends, which means that, like her, they are thrust into a terrifying and confusing urban wasteland with next to no warning. The general consensus is that aliens attacked Earth, but Amy doesn't understand how these creatures, who can barely see and are single-mindedly driven by their appetite for human flesh, could have created the technology necessary for space travel. She doesn't have much time to muse about it, though, as she spends most of her energy figuring out how to survive along with Baby, a toddler she found miraculously alive in a grocery store. But when Amy and Baby are dragged into a helicopter and transported to New Hope, the largest human settlement on the continent (governed by her mother, who survived thanks to her government job), Amy begins to learn the truth about the predators and the world her mother is trying to rebuild. The story is incredibly fast paced with tight, clear prose and interesting dialogue. The characters aren't particularly well developed, but the plot is gripping and suspenseful. Apocalyptic fiction is a crowded field but this title, particularly the final revelations, stands out.-Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Surviving alone after an alien invasion and the ensuing apocalypse turns out to be onlythe beginning of Amy's trials. Fourteen-year-old Amy has her paranoid, scientist mother and hippie father to thank for her survival when the aliens land in Central Park. Though neither of her parents is home when the invasion occurs, the house is green enough to be supplied with solar electricity and rainwater plumbing, and it's surrounded by an electric fence. Amy and a foundling girl she names Baby live there for three years, communicating via sign language to avoid detection by the acute hearing of the small, voracious aliens who have wiped out most of humanity. When their sanctuary is threatened by a very human threat, the girls escape and find New Hope, a colony of human survivors...but the secrets of the regimented survivor community prove to be every bit as dangerous, if not more so, than the alien invaders. Debut author Lunetta crafts a bang-up, twisty sci-fi adventure/thriller that begs continuation. Plucky, smart, inquisitive Amy's first-person narration is enjoyably snarky, and this end of the world is original enough to make it a good addition to any collection of post-apocalyptic fiction. Fans will be rabid for The End, scheduled for summer 2014. (Science fiction. 13 & up)

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