In the After

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