Title ~ The Eleventh Plague
Series ~ Single Title
Author ~ Jeff Hirsch
Release Date ~ September 1, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Scholastic
Source ~ A Good Addiction
GOODREADS SUMMARY
The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.
Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, travels Post-Collapse America with his Dad and stern ex-Marine Grandfather. They travel light. They keep to themselves. Nothing ever changes. But when his Grandfather passes suddenly and Stephen and his Dad decide to risk it all to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. With his father terribly injured, Stephen is left alone to make his own choices for the first time.
Stephen’s choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. Distrustful of such tranquility, Stephen quickly falls in with Jenny Tan, the beautiful town outcast. As his relationship with Jenny grows it brings him into violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost.
REVIEW
The Eleventh Plague is WAY more than a typical dystopian novel. It is a story of grieving losses, starting over, and being optimistic. Yes, you really can find optimism in a land that has been destroyed over and over again. And you might be surprised how and where you find it. I was.
As a teen, Stephen had seen more death, destruction, and chaos than most people see in a lifetime. Losing his mother leaves Stephen feeling lost and not able to trust anyone but his father and grandfather. The unthinkable happens when Stephen, in a sense, loses them as well. It was like one sadness was piled on top of another sadness on top of another sadness for poor Stephen. I started to wonder what else could go wrong for this guy. Most people would just give up, fall into a puddle of tears, and separate themselves from their reality. Not Stephen.
A sort of turning point takes place when Stephen comes upon Settler’s Landing. This is where things get really intriguing. Settler’s Landing is like stepping back to the time before all the awful things happened. Before the war, the plague, more wars. If you want to get all philosophical, you can wonder if it makes any sense to rebuild things as they were before, or if it makes more sense for things to be different. After all, look how things turned out last time. If you were to ask me, I'd say DO OVER and do it the totally total opposite of last time. DO EVERYTHING DIFFERENT!
In Settler’s Landing, Stephen meets Jenny. She reminds me of Stephen because she is also a loner who is short on trust. I get it. These teens have been through A LOT and they don’t want to lose anything or anyone else. It’s a good thing they have each other. It's a good thing they have a tiny bit of hope and trust to share. It's a good thing they have survived. I think I found that optimism.!
I loved the deeper meanings that I uncovered in The Eleventh Plague. Go out and get this one!
TRAILER
RATING
5 Loved
COVER COMMENTS
Check out the sickly green. It makes me think of the flu-link plague that struck. I think the Ferris wheel may represent the past and the circle means that life goes on and on without ending.
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