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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Alone follows the story of 12-year-old Maddie, who is accidentally left behind when her small Colorado town is suddenly evacuated.
I absolutely loved this audiobook! I couldn’t stop listening—it had me hooked from start to finish. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat, and I felt as though I was right there with Maddie, fighting to survive every day. Her journey was both heart-wrenching and empowering. With the water and power cut off, Maddie must find ways to survive by scavenging from other people’s houses and stores.
One of my favorite aspects was how she turns to the town library. With no internet access, she relies on books to learn how to survive and to keep herself company. It was such a touching and resourceful moment.
The only thing I wished for was a bit more detail about the evacuation—why it happened and what the world was like before all of this. That said, the story was still fantastic. Watching Maddie navigate her challenges and survive is both exciting and inspiring. It’s a powerful tale of survival, hope, resilience, and the lessons we learn through
First entry for #MiddleGradeMarch was fantastic! Read it in just a few sittings. Such an interesting novel in verse. Normally I am not a fan of dystopia (feel like I left that genre in my teens and haven't been able to find anything I ~really~ like personally instead of something I'd only recommend for students), but I genuinely enjoyed this. There were so many beautiful lines wrapped up in a solid plot and so much heart. There was enough reality to keep it intriguing and I kept flipping pages because I really wanted to know the ending. And the dog? Ugh, my heart. Kind of wish I had saved this one because it's setting quite a high bar for the rest of my #MGM stack! Love! Thanks, Aviva.
I liked the first 3/4, but in the last 1/4 it felt like she wrote a list of natural disasters and checked them off in rapid succession. Also she phoned in the explanation of the “imminent threat.” Basically felt like she needed to end it and did as soon as possible.
Another middle grade novel-in-verse for me. This one is a bit grim, as it’s a post-apocalyptic type setting. But I loved the narrators strength and resilience, as well as the way she found solace in books and poets. The nods to Hatchet, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and My Side of the Mountain were clear. The integration of Mary Oliver was a lovely surprise.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
I am really, really glad I read this book. It was just so beautiful to read, especially with it all being written in poetry.
You really fall for Maddie, you cheer her on and you really hope she’s going to make it. And watching her journey and her growth was incredible. And her growth isn’t linear. She doesn’t fall apart at the beginning, have a come-to-Jesus moment and then it’s smooth sailing from there. No, she falls apart, picks herself back up and carries on until she falls apart again. And I have been there. Maybe I haven’t been left behind in an abandoned town, but boy has it felt like that sometimes, and there were parts of it that felt like reading my own diary entries. You know, if I kept a diary.
It loses half a star for me because I found the ending quite abrupt. And I don’t really know how I would have ended it, so I can’t say for certain what I thought was missing, or even if there would have been a better way to end it, I just found the ending came very suddenly.
But honestly I don't even care that much because I enjoyed the rest of it so so much!
I am really, really glad I read this book. It was just so beautiful to read, especially with it all being written in poetry.
You really fall for Maddie, you cheer her on and you really hope she’s going to make it. And watching her journey and her growth was incredible. And her growth isn’t linear. She doesn’t fall apart at the beginning, have a come-to-Jesus moment and then it’s smooth sailing from there. No, she falls apart, picks herself back up and carries on until she falls apart again. And I have been there. Maybe I haven’t been left behind in an abandoned town, but boy has it felt like that sometimes, and there were parts of it that felt like reading my own diary entries. You know, if I kept a diary.
It loses half a star for me because I found the ending quite abrupt. And I don’t really know how I would have ended it, so I can’t say for certain what I thought was missing, or even if there would have been a better way to end it, I just found the ending came very suddenly.
But honestly I don't even care that much because I enjoyed the rest of it so so much!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
staying alive isn't easy
but it's a heck of a lot easier than
keeping my heart hopeful and
my mind focused
on what's
real
The first book in recent memory that I've finished in one sitting - a truly compulsive read. I surprised myself at the beginning of the book by feeling so genuinely tense and concerned for the main character. A good story in the end, with some lovely reflections on what it means to love, to be alone, as well as some nice references to other books and poetry.
I agree with some other reviews that mention feeling that the ending was in some ways rushed, particularlythe less than satisfying explanation for the evacuation , but it didn't affect the character arc.
I agree with some other reviews that mention feeling that the ending was in some ways rushed, particularly
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit