Quarantine- The Loners

Imagine if Lord of the Flies meets Hunger Games inside a high school where all the adults have died. You would have this book by Lex Thomas. One day, the high school is locked down because a virus has come in contact with the school's population. This virus kills anyone who is an adult, so all the teachers and older students are instantly dead. What happens next you ask? Well, everyone lives in perfect harmony, sharing the food drops and living as one big happy family. Yeah, right, have you even been to high school? The students fall into groups- Varsity, the Pretty Ones, the Nerds, the Freaks etc. Each stakes a claim to an area and expertise to barter on the black market. Except for David and his brother Will. They are alone and trying to survive under the radar. Of course, David has become the mortal enemy of Sam, head of the vicious Varsity group, who used to be his friend. When Sam tries to hang David for killing (accidentally)  a member of his gang (to save a girl), a group of Loners save David and they become an even bigger gang with David as their leader. Life in the school is brutal, deadly and a fight for survival. One thing after another goes wrong up until the very last word. Now, I enjoyed this book, it was a study of cliques and gangs and all that, but it is not a book for younger readers. I am even hesitant to give it to my 8th graders. It is extremely violent and there are many sexual situations, mostly in a harassing fashion. So, do not pick this up for your sixth grader. There are other books more appropriate for younger age kids with the same theme.  It was an interesting plot, I mean where the heck are the adults and why aren't they doing something if even from the outside, I'm sure the sequel will address that situation. Will I read the sequel? Most definitely, but I hate leaving things unfinished. Will I hand this to a student tomorrow- probably not. Read at your own risk my friends, and Happy reading!