Bick, Ilsa. 
ASHES 
New York.  : Egmont, 2011. 
IL YA
ISBN 1606841750

     

Alex decides to go hiking in the mountains to deal with her conflicting emotions and to try and bring closure from her parents’ death.  Alex has a brain tumor and is trying to learn how to live with the effects of treatment and some of the results of the tumor such as losing her sense of smell.   While she is on her hike an electromagnetic pulse(EMP) flashes across the sky, wiping out computer systems and killing most adults.  Some young people are turned into psychotic zombie type monsters that display shrewdness and thinking abilities.  
Alex meets up with Ellie, an eight year that was with her grandfather who died from the EMP and Tom, an army veteran.  They do not know who to trust but must survive in the lawless situations they find themselves a part of and what remains of civilization.  Alex has her sense of smell returned to her but now she can smell things normal people can’t like fear and lies.  They hear of a place where “normal” people have gathered called Rule. On the way Ellie and their supplies are stolen and Tom is injured.  Alex must continue on to Rule alone in hopes of finding help.   Will Rule  be the save haven it appears to be and will she find Ellie and Tom again? 
(Booktalk by the Sequoya Youth Book Award committee, 2014)