Fire-us

by Jennifer Armstrong

Summary:
It's been 5 years since the Fire-Us swept through the nation. The virus killed almost everyone, but left behind a few small survivors, none of whom were adults. This is the story of a small group of kids who survived the Fire-Us. A group who are trying to stay alive. But when a new kid comes to town, they begin to wonder if there are any more survivors, and take off for an unknown destination in search of something else.

Review:
The book is told from the perspective of the kids who survived the fire-us. The grammar is rough, written like children who have not been taught past the 3rd grade. For myself, it made the book difficult to read, but the story was interesting. Armstrong does a realistic job of portraying everything through the eyes of 7 or 8 year olds, even though the oldest child is now almost 13. The kids create a family group from what they remember before the virus killed all the adults and almost everyone else, which is both interesting and plausible.  Overall a good read for those who like dystopian novels. But if there is no interest in the genre it probably won't appeal to most.

Genre: Dystopian
Age Level: 7th Grade