Pfeffer, Susan Beth. 2008. The dead & the gone. New York: Harcourt, Inc. Cover Photo Source: Barnes & Noble Online, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ (accessed February 26, 2009).
This book is a 2009-2010 Lone Star Award Winner. It is a companion volume to the author's book Life as we knew it. The protagonist in The dead & the gone is 17-year old Alex who is a Puerto Rican-American living in New York City. He and his two younger sisters all attend private catholic school. Their parents are hard working immigrants who are hoping for a better life for their children. When the moon is knocked out of its orbit by an asteroid and begins to orbit closer to the earth, life as we know it changes. Life as Alex and his sisters know it drastically changes. Things they took for granted change and they must fight to stay alive.
This is a riveting book that is hard to put down. It is not for the faint of heart as it portrays a life that is unthinkable yet it is not unimaginable. That is what makes it disturbing. The reader can envision the possibility of an asteroid hitting the moon and the events that occur when the moon is out of orbit is something that would be scientifically reasonable. It leaves the reader with an eerie feeling of doom and the hope that this fictional story never occurs.
This would be a good book for boys, particularly, as they can identify with the main character. Girls who like science fiction will also enjoy this book.
