What do you do after the world has ended?After an influenza strain with a mortality rate of 99.9% sweeps across the world, two survivors, White teens Jamie and Andrew, are brought together by happenstance after Andrew's leg is caught in an abandoned bear trap and Jamie takes pity, welcoming him into his cabin. A promise of potential help from overseas sets the new pair off on a trek from Pennsylvania to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Along the way, their encounters with different survivors test and strengthen their resolve and their bonds. The narrative, alternating between Andrew's and Jamie's first-person perspectives, is successful at relaying both teens' reasons for making the journey; the story develops organically. Hints to big reveals are subtly scattered throughout, which should successfully hold curious readers' attention: Many will be white knuckled as the twists and turns slowly unfold along with the boys' romance. Those looking to escape the gloom and doom of Covid-19 news may shy away from the topic of a pandemic-driven apocalypse, but that would be a shame because this story delivers. Book clubs and discussion groups will have a lot to dig into, especially as the backstory of Andrew and a mysterious family, the Fosters, slowly unfolds. A haunting story that's sure to delight (and terrify).Readers will find this infectious; highly recommended. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 12-18)

What do you do after the world has ended?After an influenza strain with a mortality rate of 99.9% sweeps across the world, two survivors, White teens Jamie and Andrew, are brought together by happenstance after Andrew's leg is caught in an abandoned bear trap and Jamie takes pity, welcoming him into his cabin. A promise of potential help from overseas sets the new pair off on a trek from Pennsylvania to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Along the way, their encounters with different survivors test and strengthen their resolve and their bonds. The narrative, alternating between Andrew's and Jamie's first-person perspectives, is successful at relaying both teens' reasons for making the journey; the story develops organically. Hints to big reveals are subtly scattered throughout, which should successfully hold curious readers' attention: Many will be white knuckled as the twists and turns slowly unfold along with the boys' romance. Those looking to escape the gloom and doom of Covid-19 news may shy away from the topic of a pandemic-driven apocalypse, but that would be a shame because this story delivers. Book clubs and discussion groups will have a lot to dig into, especially as the backstory of Andrew and a mysterious family, the Fosters, slowly unfolds. A haunting story that's sure to delight (and terrify).Readers will find this infectious; highly recommended. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 12-18)

Gr 8 Up —Brown's debut centers on the plight of two white teens, Jamie and Andrew, who meet after 99.9% of the world has died from a new flu strain. Jamie has taken refuge in his family's cabin in the woods in Pennsylvania, and Andrew, from Connecticut, injures his leg in a bear trap passing through. The two form an alliance that turns to friendship and romance. A local militia takes the cabin, sending the two on foot across the East Coast heading south. Andrew, an out gay teen, has the idea to head to DC and the Reagan Airport, with rumors of an EU arrival. Finding the airport all but empty, they make their way to the South, meeting an array of characters and societal groups. In DC, Henri, an older woman, mentions her daughter in the Florida Keys. At a Southern military fort, they meet an extremist alt-right group who threaten the two. After an arduous journey to the Keys, they hope for a place to call home. Shades of The Stand and The Walking Dead , among other post-apocalyptic works, permeate this novel. However, Brown has crafted something unique in this genre with two gay teens as his protagonists. Additionally, sharp pacing will have readers turning pages at breakneck speed on two counts—the overall survival of the teens, and the emerging story of love. VERDICT Recommended for all public and school libraries, this novel will appeal to a wide audience who are attracted to post-apocalyptic literature. It will help bring together kids of all identities who love this genre and want to see themselves, and others, represented.—Roy Jackson