"Gone" by Michael Grant

This was a young adult fiction book given to me by my daughter Daphne as a surprise gift, a just because gift, no real reason Aren't those kind of surprises nice? Anyway, it is the story of a small town in California called Perdido Beach which has great surfing and a nuclear power plant. I mention the plant because it has a role in the story. One day in the blink of an eye all the adults and everyone over age 15 disappear mysteriously. One minute they are there,and the next they are not. I thought it might be a book about the rapture like "Left Behind" by Tim LaHaye and Jenkins. I couldn't have been more wrong. The grown ups are gone, it is true, but as you progress in the book it has nothing to do with religion, the rapture, or salvation. The teens and children are left to run the city by themselves. They are trapped by some barrier that goes around their location letting no one in or out. In addition to the strange disappearing act, things are mutating at a rapid pace. The children develop supernatural talents, like shooting fire from their hands, or moving at the speed of light, etc. Not only are they changing but so are all the life forms there. Even the coyotes have developed a rudimentary ability to speak the English language. They want to learn from humans how to kill for effectively. There is also an evil force lurking below the surface. Some of the children use their powers for good, and others to take over the place. It is a battle between good and evil. The main good guys are Sam, Astrid, Edilio, and Little Pete, an autistic boy with a superpower he is not really aware he has. The bad guys are Diana, Drake, Orc, and a mysterious boy who can move things with his hands. I was not happy with the ending. I may have mentioned this before, but I do like things to be tied up neatly. Loose ends bother me. I guess they couldn't wrap it up tightly or else there would be no second and third books, which there are. I don't intend to buy the next ones unless Daphne reads it and wants the rest of the books. I would call this book the modern day version of "Lord of the Flies" complete with supernatural elements. If any of you have read it, I would love to hear your comments. Have a great week! Happy beginning of summer!