If you found John Marsden’s ‘Tomorrow, when the war began’ series scary, then this book is definitely NOT for you.
Jesse and his three friends’ school trip is interrupted by a massive explosion. They find themselves stranded in New York, a city in chaos, abandoned except for zombie-like ‘chasers’ infected with a virus which turns them into predators, thirsting for any liquid including human blood.
The four teenagers have a desperate struggle to survive, using every skill they’ve developed and finding more strength than they knew they had.
This book is highly accessible to teens and would be most suitable for middle teen boys who are reluctant readers. While not MY favourite read, I can think of a few boys who’d just love it. It’s a cut above some other horror stories presently available, with a nice twist at the end which leads into the rest of the series. 3 1/2 stars. Mrs O.

“You sound like you think this is it, Dave said. Like you think we’re the only survivors who aren’t infected and it’s up to us to start things over again.
Like a new earth, Anna said.
I looked at her. A new earth?
It’s like the planet has reset, she explained, to create a new earth full of hope. Those of us who are left will become the adults of a world that’s changed, a world where things like wars and greed are just a memory…It’s like a torch has been passed to a new generation.” (p.156)

Reserve ‘Alone’ by clicking HERE.