Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Eleventh Plague

Title: The Eleventh Plague
Author: Jeff Hirsch
Pages: 304
Profanity: PG
Mature Content: PG
Level:  Middle/High School
Recommendation:  Good Read

Summary:  In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza.  Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade.  But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing, a community that seems too good to be true.  Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are.  And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler's Landing--and their lives--forever.

Review:  This novel is another great dystopian novel set in a not-so-distant future.  I really enjoyed the plot and the "what if" situation of a new type of influenza wiping out most of North America's population.  Most of the readers will find this setting to be a great topic to discuss with each other.  This novel is also a great read for boys because of the action scenes at the end of the story.  I did not connect with the characters because they weren't as well developed as other memorable characters.  The beginning was also a little slow, but stick it out if you like action-packed dystopian novels.

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