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Gabe in the After
A post-apocalyptic upper middle-grade adventure with a first-crush romance, perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Shannon HaleIt’s fourteen-year-old Gabe Sweeney’s day to check for survivors . . . Two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors (most of them children) have relocated from their coastal Maine island full of sad memories to a mansion on a small, neighboring island where they have school and farm chores. When Gabe and his dog, Mud, find Relle Douglas alone in the woods on the mainland, they take the strange new girl across the channel to live with them. Relle changes the island with her hopeful attitude. She tells big stories and makes plans for activities like talent shows. Despite a growing crush, Gabe doesn’t quite understand the point of it all; why have a talent show at the end of the world? But when tragedy strikes, Gabe sets out on a dangerous journey to try and find other survivors where the world might be normal. Like Before. Lightly inspired by Anne of Green Gables, Gabe in the After is a moving and heartfelt story about the end of the world--and what perseveres through it.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2022
9 people are currently reading
572 people want to read
About the author
Shannon Doleski
2 books41 followersShannon Doleski was born and raised in Cazenovia, New York. After graduating from Niagara University with a degree in English Education, Shannon was a high school and middle school teacher and swim coach in New York and Maryland. She lives in West Texas with her three children, a speckle-eared beagle, and an ornery dachshund.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 8, 2022
The author had me from her author's note (To Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley) and never let me go. This is a middle school novel loosely based on Anne of Green Gables (and I say loosely in the smallest sense of the word. There are many small homages to the original novel - picking Queen Anne's Lace flowers, Gabe and Relle talking over a bridge, Relle with a imaginary friend, etc. but you can read this without having ever picked up AoGG). This story follows Gabe Sweeney in the aftermath of a plague that swept the earth killing most of the population, including his entire family.
Yes, it's a plague based on the flu of 1918-1919. In her author's note Shannon Doleski writes that she started writing this book in 2019, set her to her agent in March of 2020 and then shortly went into lockdown with her own family. This is a good book and really well written but it might hit too close to home for people who have lived the last two+ years in the midst of everything so pick it up/have your kids read it at your own personal preferences. I personally was okay with it but I doubt I could have read this last year because I wasn't in the right headspace back then so you do what works best for you.
Gabe is a really stellar character and Gilbert Blythe would be proud to have him as his namesake. Gabe is a solid fourteen year old boy who has had to grow up fast because of everything that happened in the last two years and the weight of (self-imposed) responsibility hangs heavy on his shoulders. I loved his bonds with the other kids, I love the way they all work on the island together not just to survive, but to thrive. I loved his growing feelings for Relle and how she enchants him from their first meeting even if he has no idea what is going on. I loved all his internal thoughts and the way he tries to make sense of everything, even when its hard. Even though this book is about a sad and horrific subject, there is so much hope and love and beauty in these pages that it reads as very light overall. Would highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
Side note: I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous and oh so perfect for this story.
Yes, it's a plague based on the flu of 1918-1919. In her author's note Shannon Doleski writes that she started writing this book in 2019, set her to her agent in March of 2020 and then shortly went into lockdown with her own family. This is a good book and really well written but it might hit too close to home for people who have lived the last two+ years in the midst of everything so pick it up/have your kids read it at your own personal preferences. I personally was okay with it but I doubt I could have read this last year because I wasn't in the right headspace back then so you do what works best for you.
Gabe is a really stellar character and Gilbert Blythe would be proud to have him as his namesake. Gabe is a solid fourteen year old boy who has had to grow up fast because of everything that happened in the last two years and the weight of (self-imposed) responsibility hangs heavy on his shoulders. I loved his bonds with the other kids, I love the way they all work on the island together not just to survive, but to thrive. I loved his growing feelings for Relle and how she enchants him from their first meeting even if he has no idea what is going on. I loved all his internal thoughts and the way he tries to make sense of everything, even when its hard. Even though this book is about a sad and horrific subject, there is so much hope and love and beauty in these pages that it reads as very light overall. Would highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
Side note: I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous and oh so perfect for this story.
December 9, 2023
A Maine Student Book Award Nominee for 23|24.
Gabe Sweeney is a young man living on an island off the coast of Maine with a group of people that have become his family. Two years ago, in the time they call “Before”, a sickness ravaged the world, and the few people who were not sick in Maine were sent to an island.
One day, Gabe is on patrol, looking for other survivors when he comes across a girl, named Relle, who had been walking ever since the sickness took hold.
Suddenly, his world becomes much more lively and bright and he comes to love his mismatched family, and let go of the things he thought he needed.
A lovely post-apocalyptic Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe love story, this one was really fun and a fast read!
Gabe Sweeney is a young man living on an island off the coast of Maine with a group of people that have become his family. Two years ago, in the time they call “Before”, a sickness ravaged the world, and the few people who were not sick in Maine were sent to an island.
One day, Gabe is on patrol, looking for other survivors when he comes across a girl, named Relle, who had been walking ever since the sickness took hold.
Suddenly, his world becomes much more lively and bright and he comes to love his mismatched family, and let go of the things he thought he needed.
A lovely post-apocalyptic Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe love story, this one was really fun and a fast read!
December 23, 2023
I'm disappointed with this book. I love all the elements that made up this book - Anne of Green Gables, post-apocalyptic fiction, and middle grade reads - so I had such high hopes for it. But, on the whole, it was not great. The setting was 'too' idyllic for a post-apocalyptic world, even when characters leave their safe haven, you don't get much of a sense of danger, and even when danger arrives, the 'enemy' tends to become friends. The pacing is also off. In general, the pacing is slow, which is fine, but, in the case of significant events, they happened too quickly, without enough detail, and are resolved poorly. The Anne-ish elements of the story was a nice idea, but it detracted more than enhanced the story. It was too gimmickish and made the 'Anne' character seem detached from the rest and almost unreal. The relationship focus, which was too much in the foreground, also detracted from the story and seemed more like it existed simply to help fuse it with the Anne story. Although I understand the inclusion, I also found the 'they/them' pronoun usage caused confusion. I found myself having to reread those passages - and there were many - to gain clarity. Overall, the writing was good, but the story itself needed work.
(For those wanting to know if the book included LGBTQ+ characters, aside from the character who prefers 'they/them' pronouns, there's also a lesbian relationship/wedding.)
(For those wanting to know if the book included LGBTQ+ characters, aside from the character who prefers 'they/them' pronouns, there's also a lesbian relationship/wedding.)
May 16, 2023
3.5 stars. A decent little post-apocalyptic book for middle readers. I picked it up because I enjoy post-apocalyptic books, and this one was set on an island off the coast of Maine.
This felt very soft or low stakes compared to other post-apoc books. It didn't even have the religious-cult-that-tries-to-capture-girls-in-order-to-repopulate-the-word, which I thought was basically mandatory in post-apoc books at this point.
This was more about a boy coming to terms with the fact that the old world is over, and that they need to rebuild to create a new world. It was fine. I could have done without the mushy early-teen romance (ultra instalove), and would have much preferred if they'd just been friends....but it was fine. I guess that's my overall assessment of this book: it's fine. Veteran post-apoc readers won't be impressed, but for the target audience it's...fine.
This felt very soft or low stakes compared to other post-apoc books. It didn't even have the religious-cult-that-tries-to-capture-girls-in-order-to-repopulate-the-word, which I thought was basically mandatory in post-apoc books at this point.
This was more about a boy coming to terms with the fact that the old world is over, and that they need to rebuild to create a new world. It was fine. I could have done without the mushy early-teen romance (ultra instalove), and would have much preferred if they'd just been friends....but it was fine. I guess that's my overall assessment of this book: it's fine. Veteran post-apoc readers won't be impressed, but for the target audience it's...fine.
April 18, 2022
I've loved Anne of Green Gables since I was a kid, so when I read the plot for this, an MG end-of-the-world story featuring Gabe, who was inspired by Gilbert Blythe, I was sold. Life on the tiny Maine island, where a small community of survivors live, is beautiful but also a bit lonely for Gabe and his dog, Mud. But when some newcomers arrive on the island, things change, especially for Gabe. I adore how Gabe is so unabashedly open about his feelings, especially his amorous ones, (even if they are only in his head.) The characters are all quite charming and endearing, and the author does a good job making the cast of characters inclusive. There are bits of danger, but also lots of quiet lovely moments. The ending, more specifically the last paragraph was chef's kiss. Highly recommend!
July 3, 2022
LOVED!!!!!!
July 11, 2022
Gabe in the After manages to perfectly capture a contemporary feel in a very non contemporary setting (post apocolyptic) and is inspired by Anne of Green Gables. It's a beautiful and engaging book with well rounded characters and is perfectly Middle Grade. Gabe is such a wonderful MC with a strong voice that I think truly conveys what I think it would be like to be a boy in the world after.
May 12, 2022
Eerily prophetic since the book takes place after a global pandemic, this one will probably please fans of Anne of Green Gables and those who enjoy stories about survival and first romances. While I liked it and appreciated how the book's protagonist, Gabe Sweeney, was depicted, I was expecting something a bit more--maybe not bleak, but more realistic. Gabe and some other youngsters as well as a couple of adults fled to a small Maine island when the virus struck, and they've learned to plant their own food and establish routines that make them able to survive. When Gabe finds another survivor, Relle Douglas, while scouting the mainland in case there are others who made it through the pandemic unscathed, she brightens the community with her personality, stories, and projects, including a talent show. Gabe is enamored by her and her competitive nature. But sometimes he wonders if she isn't a bit careless, especially after one of the island's residents dies. It's encouraging that Gabe is so responsible and feels as though he must shoulder the load when anyone in his community becomes ill, especially since his father was a doctor. But when he returns to his home on the mainland and visits his parents' and little sister's rooms, I found it odd that there was no mention of bodies or decay or signs of the contagion. There was a reference to a sweetish smell in his sister's room, but I suspect that it would be stronger and more horrifying than that. It's almost impossible not to contrast the steps his new community took in order to survive with the actions of the military and those survivors as well as not to imagine what each of us might do in such a situation. Despite my own expectations for the book and slight disappointment in how things played out, the book is well written and full of hope and possibilities. It serves as a reminder that many of us rely far too much on the system to take care of us and that perhaps we need to learn or relearn some basic survival skills. The more I read, the more I started to understand those preppers and why they are so intent on stashing away supplies. I wish there had been more of Relle's back story included as well as more background about these survivors.
June 27, 2022
4.5 Stars
Gabe in the After is set after COVID-19. And the global pandemic in this book moves faster and is devastating. The book doesn’t focus too much on the physical suffering — in part because the illness moves so fast, people are gone in less than a week — rather it explores the emotional aftermath.
At the center of the story is Gabe, a teenager who was only 12 when he moved to the island. Now, he’s more adult than child. Sure, he still participates in school, and obeys Silvia, the sort of parent of the group. But he’s also working as the island’s doctor of sorts and has worries beyond that of a normal teenager.
Relle’s appearance ushers in Gabe’s first full-on crush. Author Shannon Doleski perfectly captures the confusion and joy and rush of emotion. It’s innocent and lovely and many youths will immediately relate.
Doleki finished writing Gabe in the After in March 2020. By the time the book went into edits, the US had been experiencing COVID-19 for more than a year. That changed details in the book, Doleski explains in her author’s note. But it also brought clearer parallels between real life and the book:
“New experiences don’t take away from our losses, but they give us hope,” Doleski says. “My wish for you, reader, is to experience hope — that beautiful, powerful thing — amid all the tragedy.”
Gabe in the After is a fast-moving, emotional read that perfectly marries harsh realities with beauty found in everyday moments.
Gabe in the After is set after COVID-19. And the global pandemic in this book moves faster and is devastating. The book doesn’t focus too much on the physical suffering — in part because the illness moves so fast, people are gone in less than a week — rather it explores the emotional aftermath.
At the center of the story is Gabe, a teenager who was only 12 when he moved to the island. Now, he’s more adult than child. Sure, he still participates in school, and obeys Silvia, the sort of parent of the group. But he’s also working as the island’s doctor of sorts and has worries beyond that of a normal teenager.
Relle’s appearance ushers in Gabe’s first full-on crush. Author Shannon Doleski perfectly captures the confusion and joy and rush of emotion. It’s innocent and lovely and many youths will immediately relate.
Doleki finished writing Gabe in the After in March 2020. By the time the book went into edits, the US had been experiencing COVID-19 for more than a year. That changed details in the book, Doleski explains in her author’s note. But it also brought clearer parallels between real life and the book:
“New experiences don’t take away from our losses, but they give us hope,” Doleski says. “My wish for you, reader, is to experience hope — that beautiful, powerful thing — amid all the tragedy.”
Gabe in the After is a fast-moving, emotional read that perfectly marries harsh realities with beauty found in everyday moments.
January 22, 2025
What I found out after reading this book amazed me. This story about a pandemic wiping out most of the population was written in 2019, before the Covid pandemic. The author's editor had suggested she write an "Anne Shirley meets Terminator" middle-grade novel.
Instead of an Anne of Green Gables/Terminator mash-up, this book is a gentle story about a group of kids and a few adults surviving on an island in Maine two years after a pandemic. The main character, fourteen-year-old Gabe, has never returned to the community where he'd lived with his now-deceased family. He spends time with an older man who manages the livestock and gardens, and Gabe has become the closest thing to a doctor on the island. On a daily trip to the mainland to check for new arrivals, he meets Relle, a girl reminiscent of Anne Shirley with her flair for the dramatic and zest for life, and he is smitten. But is Gabe ready to feel joy now that he's living in the After?
Gabe embarks on a journey to see if there are other survivors. There's some tension and a few perilous moments, but no flesh-eating zombies or marauding bands of postapocalyptic survivors. Instead, this novel focuses on what it's like to say goodbye to the life you expected and look ahead to new possibilities.
Instead of an Anne of Green Gables/Terminator mash-up, this book is a gentle story about a group of kids and a few adults surviving on an island in Maine two years after a pandemic. The main character, fourteen-year-old Gabe, has never returned to the community where he'd lived with his now-deceased family. He spends time with an older man who manages the livestock and gardens, and Gabe has become the closest thing to a doctor on the island. On a daily trip to the mainland to check for new arrivals, he meets Relle, a girl reminiscent of Anne Shirley with her flair for the dramatic and zest for life, and he is smitten. But is Gabe ready to feel joy now that he's living in the After?
Gabe embarks on a journey to see if there are other survivors. There's some tension and a few perilous moments, but no flesh-eating zombies or marauding bands of postapocalyptic survivors. Instead, this novel focuses on what it's like to say goodbye to the life you expected and look ahead to new possibilities.
July 2, 2022
Gabe In The After by @shannondoleski was such a delightful book! It took an end of the world, post apocalyptic story (think Alas, Babylon) and made it fun, hopeful, and endearing. Great characters, a well paced story, and lots of humor and fun, I laughed out loud a few times.
This is 100% a kid friendly book. Probably written with ages 10 and up in mind, but I would easily hand it to an 8 year old. It does deal with themes of loss and death, but as part of a healing journey. It’s not heavy at all.
To Ms Doleski, if you read your reviews, thank you for writing this. I recognized Relle right away and was absolutely delighted to be part of her adventures in this book. (To my fellow readers, if you don’t recognize her, don’t skip the author’s note. I promise there’s an aha moment in there for you)
This is 100% a kid friendly book. Probably written with ages 10 and up in mind, but I would easily hand it to an 8 year old. It does deal with themes of loss and death, but as part of a healing journey. It’s not heavy at all.
To Ms Doleski, if you read your reviews, thank you for writing this. I recognized Relle right away and was absolutely delighted to be part of her adventures in this book. (To my fellow readers, if you don’t recognize her, don’t skip the author’s note. I promise there’s an aha moment in there for you)
July 23, 2022
Set two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors, most of them children, have moved from their coastal town in Maine to a smaller island that houses them all in a mansion. Each day brings school and chores, and of course, checking for survivors.
When it’s Gabe’s day to check, he and his dog Mud encounter Relle, a strange new girl alone in the woods. Bringing her back to the island, Relle fills the small community with hope. Gabe’s emotions waiver between enjoying Relle and the joy she’s brought and dealing with the ever-present haunting sense of loss that Gabe’s experienced.
Favorite line: page 54:
“Sometimes it takes a stranger to show us bits of ourselves that we didn’t know we were missing.”
Themes of grief, loss, community, hope, friendship, and first crush abound in this beautiful middle grade novel.
When it’s Gabe’s day to check, he and his dog Mud encounter Relle, a strange new girl alone in the woods. Bringing her back to the island, Relle fills the small community with hope. Gabe’s emotions waiver between enjoying Relle and the joy she’s brought and dealing with the ever-present haunting sense of loss that Gabe’s experienced.
Favorite line: page 54:
“Sometimes it takes a stranger to show us bits of ourselves that we didn’t know we were missing.”
Themes of grief, loss, community, hope, friendship, and first crush abound in this beautiful middle grade novel.
January 16, 2023
A review calls this an Anne of Green Gables homage and I did not get that vibe at all. I love a dystopian novel but this one left me wanting more. Most of humanity has been wiped out by a population-decimating pandemic (too close to home?!). I did like how short this book was and the ties to Maine (though some of the descriptions of the setting had me wondering if the author had been to Maine at all). 14-year old Gabe's journey to the military base and back to the island felt anticlimactic. All the romance is what really killed it for me though. I would have loved a survival story but this had very little survival and a lot of silly crushes. The woman who pulls a gun on them and then quickly befriends them and then marries the woman they've been living with after like a minute knowing her, eye roll.
July 20, 2022
With this wonderful book, I have broken my summer reading slump. I couldn't even sleep for reading it. Everything about it was captivating, intriguing, and satisfying. The quintessential juvenile fiction. Tight. Succinct. Entrancing.
This will be perfect for my collection. Yet, I worry a bit about it being a bit mature for a Battle of the Books selection. And how old do elementary students need to be to fall in love, since that is what this enchanting story is mostly about.
The author's note made the whole novel even better. Not being as familiar with Anne of Green Gables, I think I need to revisit the classic. I have a new favorite author. I'm so excited.
This will be perfect for my collection. Yet, I worry a bit about it being a bit mature for a Battle of the Books selection. And how old do elementary students need to be to fall in love, since that is what this enchanting story is mostly about.
The author's note made the whole novel even better. Not being as familiar with Anne of Green Gables, I think I need to revisit the classic. I have a new favorite author. I'm so excited.
June 17, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.
This dystopian-ish, post-apocalyptic middle grade novel felt very current and all too real. While I enjoyed the plot, I didn’t love the book. I enjoyed Gabe’s character, but the other characters felt undeveloped. I also hated Relle, I’m so sorry! She was too much. I also felt like I was expecting more of a…point?…to traveling to the base. I didn’t get the purpose of some of the plot points. It did keep me reading, though, and the first half of the book was very solid. Just felt unfinished.
This dystopian-ish, post-apocalyptic middle grade novel felt very current and all too real. While I enjoyed the plot, I didn’t love the book. I enjoyed Gabe’s character, but the other characters felt undeveloped. I also hated Relle, I’m so sorry! She was too much. I also felt like I was expecting more of a…point?…to traveling to the base. I didn’t get the purpose of some of the plot points. It did keep me reading, though, and the first half of the book was very solid. Just felt unfinished.
January 31, 2023
Loved the author’s note and many pieces of this middle grade story. The very small number of survivors following a global pandemic felt incredibly eerie to think about - a bit too realistic! - but also gave me food for thought. And I definitely enjoyed the adorable characters, their interactions, and their realistic fears and grief.
June 16, 2024
This was so much better than I expected. Doleski didn't get tripped up by all the obvious tropes I feared would be in the story which I appreciated so much. It was touching and poignant and sensitively written from a younger perspective battling with survivor's guilt and the trauma of so much loss while trying to find a way to still make a life out of what's left. Really worth the read.
November 8, 2024
An interesting story about a group, mostly children, who survive a very severe pandemic on a small Maine island. Told from the point of view of a 14 year-old boy, this was a way to show a somewhat positive spin on the end of a pandemic which destroys a great deal of the world's population. hope is the theme.
August 30, 2022
To paraphrase… When we find ourselves in times of trouble, as we often do, a good book can be a blessing. This is a wonderful, soul soothing tale. Highly recommended.
I dedicate my words here to Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley. Also to Lucy Maude Montgomery who deserved a better life.
I dedicate my words here to Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley. Also to Lucy Maude Montgomery who deserved a better life.
August 21, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this post-apocalyptic story inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Twenty kids and two adults live on an island in remote Maine after a pandemic ripped through the United States, killing everyone they knew. During Gabe’s turn to look for survivors, he finds a girl and brings her home. That, coupled with another tragedy, spurs him to wonder if there are other survivors out there. He sets out to find the unknown. Hand to patient readers in grades 5-7.
January 21, 2024
Kindness counts while persevering post pandemic.
January 24, 2024
Made me cry and laugh. Now that is the first book that has done that.
November 17, 2024
What a great book! I would love to be able to read this with my students.
September 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this middle grade fiction. Great characters 💜
September 1, 2023
I wanted to enjoy this book because the Anne of Green Gables series is a favorite of mine. However, I do not enjoy the do - whatever - makes - you - happy current social agenda in any way, shape or form. People deciding to be addressed by plural pronouns? Homosexual relationships and weddings? Totally dishonoring to God. I'm sorry I veered away from Christian fiction. A person wanting to be referred to by a plural pronoun is mentally ill or demon possessed. And the character has other referring to her as plural but then refers to herself in the singular?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2023
This is a story about a pandemic and survival…like so many other books and tv shows and movies that have popped up since Covid. However this story reads a bit differently. Gabe Sweeney is one of 20 survivors (mostly children and young adults) who lives on a small island off the coast of Maine. Gabe and his group were evacuated there during the start of a deadly outbreak that they assume killed most of the population of the country. The novel starts with Gabe scouting for survivors. For two years Gabe takes a small boat to the dock on the mainland to see if anyone is waiting, and so far there has been no one. But today, Gabe finds (or rather his dog Mud) finds a young woman named Relle in the forest nearby. Relle has been on her own for most of the two years, and had been making her home in a library until the roof caved in making it uninhabitable. Since then she has been wandering in the hopes of finding a community; a family of her own. From this initial incident, the novel then follows Gabe in his tasks and responsibilities, one of which takes him days away from the island in the search of medicine and ultimately to see what the status of the outbreak is in the world. During this time, Gabe has to deal with the feelings he has for Relle, with whom he is falling in love. Let’s just say, dealing with these new found feelings is a whole other story in survival.
I really liked this book. Even though it was a story about a deadly pandemic, the narrative didn’t focus on that tragedy, instead I found it a charming story about love, growing up, responsibility, and finding joy and comfort in the little things in life. If you’re looking for a story that is about zombies and murderous raiders this is not the story for you, but if you’re looking for a wholesome story about first love and growing up then definitely pick this one up.
I really liked this book. Even though it was a story about a deadly pandemic, the narrative didn’t focus on that tragedy, instead I found it a charming story about love, growing up, responsibility, and finding joy and comfort in the little things in life. If you’re looking for a story that is about zombies and murderous raiders this is not the story for you, but if you’re looking for a wholesome story about first love and growing up then definitely pick this one up.
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July 11, 2022There's been a worldwide pandemic and you survived. How many others are still alive?
Gabe grew up on a small island off the coast of Maine. His parents and sister died from the sickness, but he survived along with a small group in his community. There are twenty of them left, two adults and the rest children.
It's Gabe's turn to check for other survivors. He rows a boat from the island to the mainland to wait by the post they placed in hopes that others passing by might stop and wait for help. Could today be the day?
A red-haired girl about Gabe's age appears at the post. At first Gabe fears he is dreaming, but he soon realizes she is real. She tells him she has been walking and walking hoping to find someone alive. Despite being alone and exhausted, the girl named Relle has an infectious, positive outlook. She returns to the island with Gabe where she's greeted with excitement.
Though Relle is welcomed by the group, there are some tense times. There's a tragic death of one of their own, a bit of jealousy when new activities threaten old traditions, and Gabe bravely volunteers to make the two week journey to check out a military base said to shelter more survivors.
Author Shannon Doleski taps into all too familiar feelings about the isolation and sacrifice involving a global pandemic. Readers will easily step into the world of Gabe and the others as they accept Relle and learn change can be welcome. Doleski is also the author of MARY UNDERWATER.
Gabe grew up on a small island off the coast of Maine. His parents and sister died from the sickness, but he survived along with a small group in his community. There are twenty of them left, two adults and the rest children.
It's Gabe's turn to check for other survivors. He rows a boat from the island to the mainland to wait by the post they placed in hopes that others passing by might stop and wait for help. Could today be the day?
A red-haired girl about Gabe's age appears at the post. At first Gabe fears he is dreaming, but he soon realizes she is real. She tells him she has been walking and walking hoping to find someone alive. Despite being alone and exhausted, the girl named Relle has an infectious, positive outlook. She returns to the island with Gabe where she's greeted with excitement.
Though Relle is welcomed by the group, there are some tense times. There's a tragic death of one of their own, a bit of jealousy when new activities threaten old traditions, and Gabe bravely volunteers to make the two week journey to check out a military base said to shelter more survivors.
Author Shannon Doleski taps into all too familiar feelings about the isolation and sacrifice involving a global pandemic. Readers will easily step into the world of Gabe and the others as they accept Relle and learn change can be welcome. Doleski is also the author of MARY UNDERWATER.
July 1, 2022
After the end of the world, the end of a pandemic, what kind of world would remain? The dystopian hell scape one we always expect and know in tv and literature? Or perhaps this one, where the survivor you come across has Anne Shirley vibes, and the radios reach helpful survivors? Gabe Sweeney is a 14 year old boy who was sent to a small island off the coast of Maine when a pandemic hit, along with about 20 remaining children and adults who hadn’t gotten sick. Gabe is a level headed boy growing into a man. He was on his usual route to keep an eye out for survivors and happened upon Relle, who he can’t stop thinking about. This is a coming of age story by an author who finished it in March of 2020 before the big C-19. It’s perfectly middle grade, the baddest people in it didn’t want to work to help the community. The first true love of our character culminates in a kiss. This is a hallmark movie for middle graders, though with genuine wisdom and heart, and it’s really perfect for what it is. I breezed through it and enjoyed every hopeful bit of it. Don’t sleep on it because of the romance, read it and feel positive about humanity and what can be possible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2022
I love survivor stories, and reading about how resourceful people can be. However, two things that kind of caught me up:
How cushy life is on the "little" island. They just happen to have solar power, so have electricity. Plenty of food (okay, they grow a garden but where is all the pasta coming from?). Where do they get flour for the bread? No mention of any wheat fields or mills to grind it.
And where are all the bodies? Gabe sees lots of cars abandoned in parking lots and on roads and highways, but no mention of the people who just left them there. Not even wondering where they went or avoiding looking too close, just in case bodies are inside. For an epidemic that wiped out a large swath of population, there would come a point where there'd be no one left to bury the bodies. Perhaps the author wanted to introduce young readers to the concept of life after a devastating pandemic without getting too graphic. I think there will be kids who wonder about those things.
Otherwise, not a bad read.
How cushy life is on the "little" island. They just happen to have solar power, so have electricity. Plenty of food (okay, they grow a garden but where is all the pasta coming from?). Where do they get flour for the bread? No mention of any wheat fields or mills to grind it.
And where are all the bodies? Gabe sees lots of cars abandoned in parking lots and on roads and highways, but no mention of the people who just left them there. Not even wondering where they went or avoiding looking too close, just in case bodies are inside. For an epidemic that wiped out a large swath of population, there would come a point where there'd be no one left to bury the bodies. Perhaps the author wanted to introduce young readers to the concept of life after a devastating pandemic without getting too graphic. I think there will be kids who wonder about those things.
Otherwise, not a bad read.
February 6, 2023
Dystopian post-pandemic story set on an island off the coast of Maine. One day while doing his chore of checking for survivors on the large island across the bay, Gabe stumbles across Relle. When he brings her back to join their community, things change for him especially when Gabe realizes that he has a crush on Relle. One day two toothless strangers show up on the large island and talk of escaping a military base. Gabe decides he wants to connect with other survivors and offers to leave his island family to explore. He and another resident walk to a military base in Massachusetts and find another group of survivors who are still reliant on dwindling supplies rather than growing their own food as his family does on their island. On the way back, they discover a woman and her baby and take them back to their island home.
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