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The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone's lives have become an endless list of don'ts: don't water the lawn, don't fill up your pool, don't take long showers.
Until the taps run dry.
Suddenly, Alyssa's quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don't return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she's going to survive.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
October 2, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781508263098
- File size: 320030 KB
- Duration: 11:06:43
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 790
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from August 27, 2018
In Neal Shusterman (Thunderhead) and son Jarrod’s near-future or alternate-present America, a prolonged drought (“the Tap-Out”) results in the sudden curtailment of Southern California’s water supply. When their parents vanish while seeking desalinated water, 16-year-old Alyssa and 10-year-old Garrett embark on a harrowing journey, searching for their parents and fending for themselves as society deteriorates. Along the way, the siblings pick up three teens: their survivalist neighbor Kelton, unpredictable lone wolf Jacqui, and calculating opportunist Henry. This thriller alternates between the teens’ distinct and plausible viewpoints, occasionally supplementing with brief “snapshots” of others (a fleeing family, a news anchor) dealing with the escalating catastrophe. The dynamic core-character relationships are satisfying, and the intersection of their narrative with the snapshots adds depth to briefly glimpsed characters and illuminates the full scale of the disaster. The lack of warning before the long-looming crisis breaks may require some initial suspension of disbelief, but the palpable desperation that pervades the plot as it thunders toward the ending feels true, giving it a chilling air of inevitability. It is also thoroughly effective as a study of how extreme circumstances can bring out people’s capacity for both panic and predation, ingenuity and altruism. Ages 12–up. Agent: Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary. -
AudioFile Magazine
Multiple narrators and alternating perspectives underscore the volatility of this speculative story about a group of teens who are trying to survive the "Tap-Out," a catastrophic water shortage in Southern California. Jenni Barber anchors the cast with her youthful yet determined portrayal of Alyssa, a sensible suburban girl who is the story's moral center. She's joined by Michael Crouch as Henry, a smooth-talking opportunist; Noah Galvin as Kelton, the awkward prepper next door; Candace Thaxton as Jacqui, a street-smart older girl; Kivlighan de Montebello as Garrett, Alyssa's younger brother; and the authors, who offer serious verbal snapshots of the Tap-Out's disturbing effects. The narrators ratchet up their pacing and intensity as the characters face increasingly grueling challenges, turning this survival thriller into a white-knuckle listening experience. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
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Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
Languages
- English
Levels
- Lexile® Measure:790
- Text Difficulty:3-4
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