It’s the middle of the day in the small California town of Perdido Beach and all the students are in school. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, all of the adults vanish. Everyone age fifteen and over is Gone and only the children remain.

Teenager Sam Temple is thrust into the role as a reluctant leader of the remaining children and teens. He tries to maintain some kind of order with his frightened best friend Quinn, new kid Edilio, and class brainiac Astrid with her young autistic brother Little Pete, by his side. Bullies are running rampant and kids from Coates Academy, the private school for troubled teens up the road have come to town with their own plans for everyone.

Things continue to change however. Coyotes have grown almost as smart as humans and animals are mutating faster than anyone ever believed possible. But the animals aren’t the only ones affected; the kids too seem to be developing unusual powers. Now Sam and his rag tag bunch have not one but two enemies to fight against. There is something lurking in the darkness with a mind of its own on one end and Caine from Coates Academy, evil incarnate and plans to rule the town with his twisted sidekick Drake and bad girl Diana. Then there’s the fact that when the kids turn fifteen, they are Gone too.

Gone has everything I could possibly want in a fiction novel. We have magic-like abilities, creatures from our nightmares, children overcoming the odds to survive when all logic says they won’t make it. We even find a love story developing. There are talking animals, a variety of sub plots to keep things moving, a race against time to find the answers, and epic battles of good versus evil. What exactly IS the Darkness lurking on the outskirts of town? It’s hard to believe this is really a young adult read, as the story is so grown up.

I think my favorite thing about Gone is seeing how the children respond to their circumstances. All of these teenagers whose biggest should be deciding what to do Saturday night are forced to take on responsibilities far beyond their expectations. There is young Mary who with her younger brother John, finds herself running a day care for all of the youngsters. Albert, a shy quiet kid, turns the local McDonalds into his own franchise. Dahra with her first aid training finds herself doctoring to everyone. Even Little Pete, locked away in his own mind, has a role to play.

Wow I was blown away by Michael Grant’s Gone! This book may be geared at young adults but it is quite an ambitious novel that even adults will love. We have here a long and involved tale, with so many twists and turns that you never know what will happen next. Don’t let the size deter you though for it is well worth the time to finish it. I cannot say how glad I am I did not pass this book up when the opportunity to read it presented itself. Even better, Gone is quite obviously the beginning of a new series. I know I’ll be waiting with baited breath, right alongside all those young adults, for the release of book two.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, August 2008. All rights reserved.