Plague

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. (Oct.)