Gabe in the After

In the two years since “the summer the world ended,” white Gabe Sweeney hasn’t met anyone outside his small, racially diverse Maine island community, but he still looks forward to checking the mainland woods for survivors each week. Enjoying the quiet and daydreaming about the prestige of finding someone, the practical and conscientious 14-year-old meets a girl about his age, and takes her to the island that he shares with 17 other children and two adults following a population-decimating pandemic. Pale, red-haired Relle Douglas proves whimsically garrulous, enlivening the community with an imaginary best friend and an idea for a talent show, and Gabe soon develops an intense crush. When tragedy strikes, Gabe, a doctor’s son and the island community’s de facto medical expert, blames himself, subsequently lashing out at Relle. Devastated by their falling out, and intent on gaining further medical expertise and finding more survivors, Gabe travels with another child to a Massachusetts military base, encountering mild danger along the way. With occasional nods to Anne of Green Gables, Doleski’s (Mary Underwater) postapocalyptic survival story weaves cozy and romantic elements with a haunting sense of loss, detailing the swift, shattering changes that can come with disaster. Ages 10–14. Agent: Veronica Park, Fuse Literary. (June)