Pfeffer, Susan Beth.
THE DEAD AND THE GONE
Orlando : Harcourt, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0152063110

(3 booktalks)

Alex is a hard working kid living in New York.  He dreams of going to college and having a successful life.  He comes from a good working class family and has a scholarship to a prestigious prep school.  He even has a shot at becoming class president his senior year.  Things are really working out for him.  But that is all about to change.  The night the asteroid hits the moon knocking it out of orbit changes life for everyone.  Now Alex's parents are missing, his older brother is deployed and it is up to Alex to keep his younger sisters safe.  And fed.  And it is getting harder and harder to find food.  If you have read Pfeffer's book Life As We Knew It and wondered what was happening in the big cities, take a look at Alex's life as he struggles with the aftermath of the moon shift.

Booktalk #2

Think about all the wonderful things you have in your life. You have food and a roof over your head. Now imagine that all of this was going to disappear. Imagine that every day you had to strip dead bodies so you could provide food for your family to survive.  When an asteroid collides with the moon, Alex Morales, an 18 year old New Yorker, is going through a lot of tough decisions about what he should do with his sisters to keep them safe. Should he send Bri to the convent up state? Should he take Julie to go body shopping with him? Or, most importantly, should he tell his sisters that their parents are never coming home? To find out more about The Morales' and how they fight for their lives, read The Dead and The Gone, by: Susan Beth Pfeffer. (Anastasiya T., student)

Booktalk #3

Alex Morales is a good kid. He’s seventeen, living in New York City, and works at a pizza parlor when he’s not attending school at St. Vincent de Paul Academy. He also looks out for his two younger sisters and studies hard so he can go to college. One especially overcast day, Alex and his sisters arrive to an empty apartment to find the power is out, along with the cable TV and radio. With his mother working at the hospital, his father in Puerto Rico attending a funeral, and older brother Carlos serving with the U. S. Army, it is up to Alex to assess the situation and reassure his sisters. Little does Alex know that his world is about to change forever. As in the author’s previous book, Life As We Knew It, an asteroid has hit the moon and knocked it off its orbit, wreaking havoc on the world. But in New York City, only those with money or connections will be able to escape the chaos. And Alex has neither money nor connections. He soon realizes that he will be the sole provider and caretaker for his siblings. As days roll by, and essentials for living are harder to come by, Alex will be forced to “bodyshop” – stealing warm clothing and other items he can trade for food from those unfortunate beings left lying in the streets. Throughout the nightmare, the Morales’ strong faith, and the faith and help of other survivors keep them going. But for how long? The Dead and the Gone is a terrifying tale, especially in the setting of New York City, the scene of other horrible tragedies. It is so realistic that you may find yourself re-thinking your own emergency survival plans.
Prepared by: Karen Tisdale for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011