I can't believe I don't have this book on my GR list! I loved this book. I am a diehard for all things apocalyptic and dystopian. This is like the original Gone book where the kids rule after the adults are gone. It was recommended reading by the alternative school teacher where I was a librarian. He read it aloud to his class and they couldn't get enough! ( )

I just blew a kid's mind by telling him my sister actually went to school at Glenbard West--the castle! ( )

Another reviewer says "Explain this: pg. 157 - (last two paragraphs I think)
Tom Logan. He asks who did something (don't want to give out a spoiler for this oh so suspenseful book) to Lisa because he wants to "beat his little head in if I ever catch him".
Next paragraph. Tom Logan again. He's thinking about how he killed her.
Uh, correct me if I'm wrong but if he was looking to find who did this than how could he himself have done it?"

I suggest that Tom was trying, in the first, to deflect suspicion from himself.
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Ok, wow, that other reviewer is so wrong. Tom asks himself the first question. And the second question doesn't even exist, at least in my edition. The closest text is Tom thinking about wishing Lisa hadn't gotten hurt... and later, when he thinks she died, he compares her to a burnt-out candle. even if editions do vary, could not Tom's second thought, in the other reviewer's edition, be that he was the leader and therefore responsible for her death?

So anyway:

I don't understand the one-star reviews. There are some implausibilities in this book, sure. But mostly it feels believable. Children age 8-10 are very likely to love it... what child doesn't dream of a world without adults, a world of freedom and adventure? To learn that the same world also brings want and responsibilities is fascinating. And it's perfectly well written, with a lot of dialogue, heart, drama, and a sprinkle of humor. I wish I could have read it when I was a child as I would have thought of Lisa as a good role model, while at the same time enjoyed a unique adventure. ( )

One of the best standalone books I have ever read! Definitely a must-read for all ages! ( )

I suppose not every ten-year-old reads this book and realizes that if her parents suddenly died she could survive very well alone with her two-year-old brother.
I had grown up as an only child and had been raised to be independent and to be self-sufficient. This story alerted me to how independent I had actually become, but what's more -- it informed me that you had a responsibility to care for those you were loyal to and to protect the small from those who would bully and take advantage of them.
Lisa, the story's hero (for she is a hero), is jarringly real with all her flaws and virtues. Her devotedly loyal nature and her willingness to protect those weaker than her demonstrate the possibility of humanity's survival, and not merely human survival, in a world as rapacious as The Lord of the Flies. ( )