Critics' Opinion:
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Published in USA
Sep 2012
304 pages
Genre: Novels
Publication Information
Radley's parents had warned her that all hell would break loose if the American People's Party took power. And now, with the president assassinated and the government cracking down on citizens, the news is filled with images of vigilante groups, frenzied looting, and police raids. It seems as if all hell has broken loose.
Coming back from volunteering abroad, Radley just wants to get home to Vermont, and the comfort and safety of her parents. Travel restrictions and delays are worse than ever, and by the time Radley's plane lands in New Hampshire, she's been traveling for over twenty-four hours. Exhausted, she heads outside to find her parents, who always come, day or night, no matter when or where she lands, aren't there.
Her cell phone is dead, her credit cards are worthless, and she doesn’t have the proper travel papers to cross state lines. Out of money and options, Radley starts walking...
Illustrated with 50 of her own haunting and beautiful photographs, this is a vision of a future America that only Karen Hesse could write: real, gripping, and deeply personal.
"Hesse offers some of her best in lavish descriptions of nature and mood, all overlaid with a social message, but this might be of more interest to adults than to teens." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. A masterfully written powerhouse of a book." - School Library Journal
"Chapters [are] short, like journal entries, and to accommodate the lack of incident, 50 photographs are spread throughout the text. Unfortunately, these serene nature shots add little punch to the already placid narrative, resulting in a final product that feels well intended but never quite blossoms." - Booklist
"Hesse (Brooklyn Bridge) beautifully captures the changing landscape of a journey, the wonder of discovery, and a fight to survive in a near-future novel set in the aftermath of a presidential assassination. Ages 14 and up." Publishers Weekly
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Karen Hesse is the award-winning author of several outstanding books for young readers, including Letters from Rifka and Phoenix Rising. She lives in Williamsville, Vermont.
Karen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and began writing early in elementary school in part because of the encouragement she received from teachers. She writes that in fifth grade, 'Mrs. Datnoff commented on the level of creativity in my assignments, and I took her words to heart and embraced the notion of myself as a writer. I fell in love with Dr. Seuss' use of language as soon as I could read. At the Enoch Pratt Free Library on the corner of W. Garrison Avenue and Park Heights, I discovered a children's
librarian who fed me books the way a mother bird feeds a nestling. One day, when I was eleven, I ...
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