Gone

by Michael Grant

Reviewed by Sydney Liu

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Gone by Michael Grant

ISBN#: 9780061448782

THE STORY:

Sam Temple is an ordinary fourteen year-old kid living in Perdido Beach, California, leading an unassuming life. That all changes though, when one day everybody fifteen and older in the town disappears and technology ceasing to work. Understandably, there is much chaos as first with the loss of authority. There is also a dash of some horror with the depiction of how many young children are at risk without their parents and the limited supply of food.

Initially, the plot revolves around Sam, his love interest Astrid, his best mate Quinn, and the quirky minority Edilio trying to figure out what happened. However, their initial aims are quickly derailed when the antagonists are then introduced in the form of the students of Coates Academy, a private school for troublesome rich kids nearby, who are lead by Caine, Sam’s half-brother. To further exacerbate the situation, soon some kids start developing strange abilities and animals begin mutating. This creates even more confusion, fear, and conveniently enough a need for an authority figure. As the book is only the first of a series of five, the author manages to combine exposition about the overarching plot with the secondary one. Similar to many other books of this genre, the main conflict is Person vs Himself, as Sam must learn to overcome his own doubts and fears. Using a third-person limited point-of-view, the author often tells things from the perspective of Sam but also switches to other characters sometimes for a wider view of the story. (251)

MY OPINION:

Although the book has an interesting premise, I found the overused plotlines that are so prevalent in young adult and teen fiction story disappointing. There was the often seen hero who repeatedly stresses how ordinary they are despite receiving adulations from those all around them. Then there was the love interest who they can see no fault with and that they declare love for after only a few days. With such predictable characters, I couldn’t form much or any attachment to them, detachedly observing them as they died. However, aspects such as these can be ignored in favor of the plot which is a bit gorier that books similar to this often are. Additionally, even though the side-characters were hardly what could be call “fleshed out”, they were certainly interesting, more interesting than the protagonist at least. Although the book’s rather simplistic plot would appeal better to pre-teens, it also contains some themes that might be too mature for them, so I would recommend this book to older middle schoolers. Overall, I would rate this book a six out of ten stars as it was a rather average book that I will most likely not read again, even if given the choice. (202)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Who is Lana’s dog named for?

1a. Lana’s dog is named for Patrick Star of Spongebob. (pg. 19)

2. How many siblings does Albert have?

2a. Albert is the youngest of six children. (pg. 61)

3. Where is Edilio’s older brother?

3a. Edilio’s brother is in Afghanistan, serving in the army. (pg. 83)

4. What is Little Pete’s trigger phrase?

4a. His trigger phrase is “window seat”. (pg. 133)

5. Why was Jack sent to Coates Academy?

5a. Jack was sent to Coates Academy because he hacked into the local police department to erase a speeding ticket. (pg. 155)

Appliqué (pg. 12)

stucco (pg. 34)

bassinet (pg. 76)
oblong (pg. 120)

parables (pg. 145)

MIDDLE SECTION

1. What did Bette ask Mary and Dahra to do before she died?

1a. Bette asked the two of them to look after her little brother before she died. (pg. 190)

2. Why did Panda throw a rock at Little Pete?

2a. Panda threw a rock at Little Pete because he was “ignoring him”. (pg. 233)

3. Who frees Sam from the weights?

3a. Quinn frees Sam from the weights. (pg. 261)

4. How does Caine stay in contact with Drake?

4a. Caine stays in contact with Drake via radio. (pg. 298)

5. Why was Diana sent to Coates Academy?

5a. Diana was sent to Coates Academy for lying to the police that her dad pushed her mom down a flight of stairs. (pg. 333)

Buzzards (pg. 203)

Sloughing (pg. 232)

Marina (pg. 267)

Stern (pg. 299)

Chroma (pg. 331)

LAST SECTION

1.  How did Lana kill Nip?

1a. Lana killed Nip by bashing his brain in with a solid gold bar. (pg. 364)

2. Why is Sam angry at his mother?

2a. Sam is angry at his mother since he needs someone to use as a scapegoat for the FAYZ. (pg. 399)

3. Why does Drake want Lana?

3a. Drake wants Lana so that she can heal his right arm. (pg. 433)

4. Why does Diana want Sam to not blink out?

4a. She doesn’t want Sam to blink out so that way, Drake will stay focused on trying to kill Sam, and not her. (pg. 475)

5. At the end of the story, how many kids are buried?

5a. Nineteen kids are buried by the end of the story. (pg. 560)

Prees (pg. 402)

Impertinence (pg. 436)

Laxative (pg. 468)

Fetid (pg. 468)

Elliptical (pg. 524)