From Publishers Weekly
Fran returns from a wilderness trip to find London cut off from the rest of the world, besieged by a plague that has taken the lives of her parents and many of her friends. Once inside the city--a group of children show her a secret way to reenter--the only thing Fran knows for sure is that she must escape in order to survive. Stealing and scavenging for food, Fran nurses her friend Shahid miraculously back to health before she manages to cross the city's boundaries to an uncertain future. Gripped by the pall of disease, death and government conspiracy, Ure's tale must work hard to achieve a more hopeful plane. Fran's hard-won, stoic optimism at the book's end seems a faint cheer compared to the thunderous silence of the dead she leaves behind--and is sure to encounter ahead, as Ure suggests a global disaster has occurred. More chilling than thrilling, this frightening, thought-provoking novel grabs the reader's attention and holds tight until the last word. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-9-- Fran, 16, returns from four weeks on a wilderness survival trip to a city eerily quiet and the residents gone--either hiding in fear, or dead from a mysterious illness. Although the area has been sealed off to prevent the disease from spreading, Fran finds a way home, only to discover that the plague has arrived before her. Her story alternates with that of classmate Shahid, an outsider by virtue of his race. The third member of the triumvirate is Fran's best friend, Harry, whose natural impulsiveness has been exacerbated to near-insanity. The three set out to find Shahid's brother on the north side of London. As Harry becomes more unstable and Shahid becomes ill, it is left to Fran to save them. Both the physical struggle to survive, and the character development that supports and results from it, are clearly and accurately depicted. Plot development is sure-footed, and dialogue is realistic. Ultimately, there is a note of hope, and even moments of humor. What is not funny is the typical infuriating attempt to translate Briticisms into American English; it's inconsistent, insulting, and awkward. In one case, in calling a cooker the "stove," term and technology do not agree, and only serve to highlight the absurdity of this practice. Otherwise, this is a solid addition to teen fiction collections, and a discussion starter about survival morality or political responsibility. --Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C., Canada
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
