The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Alex Morales was heading places, until that fateful night when an asteroid knocked the moon out of orbit and catastrophe struck. Alex’s father was traveling in Puerto Rico and his mother was on her way to work at the time, and so Alex is left to care for his younger sisters until his parents return. As time goes on, their parents never return and the struggle to survive becomes increasingly grueling, Alex must grow up quickly and make difficult decisions to ensure the survival of his remaining family.

Pfeffer follows her highly successful Life As We Knew It with another gripping and powerful tale of worldwide apocalypse that is as moving and haunting as the first. Set in New York City, The Dead and the Gone portrays the harsh reality of an apocalyptic event in a large urban area where the discrepancies between who has access to the basics for survival and who are left to fend for themselves are largely determined by finances and societal standing. Death and destruction play a more central role and are described more graphically than Life As We Knew It. Pfeffer has crafted another emotional and tense story with well-developed characters that will grab readers from the beginning and hold their attention throughout. The very heavy religious overtones may put off some readers, however, the Morales faith is a key part of their identities and so it does not feel forced or over the top.