Michael Grant's six-part Young Adult series follows a beach-side community that find themselves in an impossible situation. Everyone aged fifteen and over simply disappear. No spectacular disappearance, no poof. Just gone. Perdido Beach and the surrounding area is now a strange town stuck in a large sphere where only the young roam, looking for food, looking for attention and looking for answers. The six novels follow the array of problems these children eventually face. The initial disruption; the hunger that eventually follows their limited supply of food; conflict and political strife that falls upon the children; illness and plagues; and eventually what happens when the barrier comes down. And if there weren't enough problems, their community is evolving in a rapid way. Animals and nature are changing. Humans are developing paranormal abilities. Nothing is the same. In particular, Grant explores the dynamics between and within these youths on the cusp of adolescence as they try to make sense of a world without adults, and more importantly, without rules.
I picked up the first book on a whim. I saw these books around my local library for ages, with the first instalment having been published in 2008 and I recently heard a bit of a buzz around them so I finally decided to give this series a go. I am so glad that I did. Grant has entertained me, moved me and captivated me throughout the journey that is this series and there was such a large spectrum of wonderful elements to delve into.
