LIES by Michael Grant

This is the third book in the Gone series by Michael Grant. These books are really unique. The other two books set the stage for this one. What has happened is that in California, one day all the adults over the age of 16 just disappear. The kids that are left behind are responsible for everything. Some are trying to develop a community with laws and rules, while others are just living by their wits and courage. The FAYZ is a scary place to be for all kids. Not only do they have all the responsibilities of survival, but they must deal with the mutations that only some of the kids are developing.

In LIES, mutants are being pitted against non-mutants (or normal kids). Kids who were once dead, are now being spotted around Perdido Beach which totally freaks the kids out. Sam- the hero of the first two books has really had his confidence shaken. Things with him and Astrid are very strained. Astrid has one view of the future while Sam - the one who has to protect all the kids in Perdido Beach has another view.

Then there is Caine and his gang of very dangerous kids. Life at Coates Academy is horrific. Caine and Diana are literally starving to death and they are desperate for food. All of these kids must once again fight for survival.

I think this book was really a set up for the final few books. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure where the series can go from here.

Hunger by Michael Grant

*Warning- if you haven't read Gone, this review will provide spoilers that you may not want to know about. Read Gone first, then come back and read this review!

In this sequel to Gone, Sam and Caine have survived the big 'poof', but they still find themselves on opposite sides of survival. Caine has aligned himself with some very scary characters Drake and Diana who have mutated in such vile ways that everyone is scared of them. They don't trust one another and the tension is very thick between them all. Sam is still struggling to hold it all together in town. He is responsible for everyone and every little thing. He has become a surrogate parent for all young children and the strain of it all is really starting to wear him down.

All of the food in town is gone and the children are starving. Things are even worse at Coates Academy where Caine's encounter with the mysterious 'thing' underground has left him weak and mentally unstable.

As Sam tries to feed the town, Caine is plotting for ways to take over all the food and buildings in town. To top it all off there is a real growing divide between kids who have mutated and kids who are normal.

This book was absolutely as exciting as the first one. It also ended in such a way that you just know there is going to be a third book.

Gone by Michael Grant

This is an amazing new book that I stumbled across on another website. 14 year old Sam dreams of surfboarding all day long. One minute he is sitting in class barely listening to his teacher and the next minute "poof" his teacher is gone. Not just stepped out of the room gone, but gone gone. As he looks around the room, he realizes other kids are gone too. When he meets up with other kids in the hall they come to realize that anyone over 15 years old has vanished. Suddenly, there are no adult, nobody to tell them what to do, when to eat or how to behave. This is the new world. Dubbed the "FAYZ" it becomes a world where bullies rule and sides are being quickly drawn. Sam finds himself reluctantly in charge of the 'townies' and he has to face Caine, the leader of the kids from the private school just outside of town. Sam and Caine share a bond they had no idea about before the disappearance of all the adults. The kids quickly find themselves hungry and fighting for survival. As all this is happening, animals begin changing in strange ways and so do the kids. Kids start gaining strange powers that make some more powerful and scary than others. It is a strange new world where everyone is trying to survive on their own.

This book is a nice thick book- 550 pages and each chapter leaves you wanting more. There is a strange little website http://www.thefayz.com/ where you can read someones blog who lives in the FAYZ. Here is an interview with the author as well: http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-grant-michael.asp#view0906