In the Afterlight

Gr 9 Up—The dust is starting to settle after the government's attack on the Psi kids, or kids with unique superhuman abilities, of Los Angeles. Ruby, the reluctant leader of the group, along with brothers Cole and Liam, escort some of the surviving Psi kids, and their dangerous prisoner, Clancy Gray, to an undisclosed location. Here, Ruby and Cole begin to plan a counter attack to liberate other captive children at "rehabilitation" camps across the country. The other survivors begin to hear whispers that the government has created a cure for their disease, and some question whether the camps are all that bad. Having firsthand experience with the abuse in the camps, Ruby makes it her mission to publicly expose them in any way she can. Even with the book's slow start, narrator Amy McFadden breathes life into Ruby as she guides listeners through the planning, betrayal, and climatic conclusion of her story. A few sexual situations and mild language make this appropriate for slightly older teens. Listeners should have prior knowledge of the events in the first two titles, as it is unclear exactly how the kids got to their situation.