BOOK REVIEW: THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE

THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE

Jeff Hirsch

Scholastic

2011

Available:  Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audio

     Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn's life of roaming the countryside and salvaging seems normal. It's all he's known. Long before his birth America was almost destroyed by plague and war. It's a dangerous world. His family is one of the lucky ones. They've survived. Or at least he and his father and grandfather have. Their days are spent scouring the countryside for items to trade for the things they need to survive. When Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father is hurt and ends up in a coma Stephen is on his own. That is until he ends up in Settler’s Landing. It's a town that's totally different than he could ever have imagined. Families live in houses. Kids go to school. It's a community that seems too good to be real.

    This was a compelling read about a boy who has to figure out what's real and what isn't. Who he can trust and whom he can't. That even the perfect life hangs on a thread. It was a great read.

Target audience: Grades 7-10

Mystery / Suspense: Very Good!
Kid appeal: High