Colony East

Colony East by Scott Cramer

(Summary taken from the press release sent by the publisher) "In a terrifying world where an epidemic has killed off most of the world's adults, fifteen-year-old Abby struggles to keep her brother and sister safe. 

When a new, deadly disease spreads among the survivors, Abby must make the dangerous journey to Colony East, an enclave of hidden scientists caring for a small group of children for reasons unknown.
Abby fears that time is running short for the victims, but she's soon to learn that time is running out for everyone outside Colony East."

I loved the first book in the series Night of the Purple Moon, so I was very excited to read book two. It did not disappoint!!! I loved this one as well. I just get caught up in Mr. Cramer's writing style and story telling. The characters come to life in this book, even more than they did in the first book. It was interesting to note the differences in how Jordan and Abby reacted in each of their most difficult moments. It surprised me because I thought they would have been opposite. I really saw that Abby is human. She pretends to know-it-all all the time, but she does have a different side to her when push comes to shove. This book introduces some new characters, and elaborates on some old favorites. Toby became a favorite character. I love to see how the children come together in some of the areas, and yet it pains me to see how kids in the other areas just collapse into chaos. And, introducing the adults was very creative. I had no idea how Mr. Cramer would manage to find some adults alive, but he did. Do I like them? Would I act like them? Wow. I'm a rule follower, but I don't know......Pique your interest? Yeah, crazy. I liked Dawson. I liked that he might have a sliver of humanity in him after all. I didn't like most of the other adults. It took me awhile to understand that the cadets Dawson kept talking about were so little. Oh my goodness. They're so little, yet they are treated like full-on adults. I didn't like that part. I just wanted to hug and console them. I do love how resourceful a lot of the children are. 

There are deaths in this book, and some are quite violent. There are some gang-like violence scenes. There are a few gun shots and lots of sick and dying children. There is no profanity (that I can remember). There are some flirtations between a few of the children, and a couple of kissing scenes, but that is as far as it goes. 

I really liked this book, and am now counting down the days until book #3 is released!!!

Rating: PG-13 (Deaths, violence, gang-like violence, some gun shots, sick and dying children, kissing)

Recommendation: 14 and up.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Night of the Purple Moon

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

(Summary taken from the back book cover) "Space germs wipe out virtually everyone who has passed through puberty....For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon. But nobody predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure. On a small island off the coast of Maine, a group of teens and children struggle to survive in this new world, but all the while they have inside them a ticking time bomb--adolescence."

Just thinking about this actually happening freaks me out. Can you imagine? I can't imagine my ten-year-old having to take care of his siblings and fight for their survival. Crazy. I liked this book. It is an interesting and different concept, which is good, and it definitely gets your attention. I felt so bad for these children and wished I could help them. Mr. Cramer's character development is really good, and I felt like these kids lived in my neighborhood, like I have always known them. I can't imagine having to bury my friends like they did. They took it surprisingly well and did a pretty good job of keeping life as normal as possible. I liked how each of the kids kind of ended up with a specialty, just like adults do. The book is well written and flows well. The story is captivating and draws you in. It's a fast, easy read.

I didn't like the language in the book. I like to live in my dream world and think that children ages 14 and younger shouldn't use bad language. One of the worst offenders was an old man at the very beginning, and I was disappointed. This book is about children this age, and yet, I am not going to allow my ten-year-old to read it. Mr. Cramer took a book that could have been great for the late elementary school readers as well as the early junior high kids, and made it inaccessible to them because of some language.  It wasn't filled with language, but enough that I'm uncomfortable recommending it for elementary age kids. It also ended quite abruptly, and left me hanging, but it is a trilogy, so what do you expect? Of course I'll need to read the next one because I have to see what happens to these cute kids!

I liked it, though, and would recommend it with the previous warning.

Rating: PG-13 (Language)

Recommendation: 14-15 years and up. As usual, parents should read it first to judge for their children.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.