The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published Date: September 2011

Hardcover; 278 pages

Genre: YA Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0-545-29014-2

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing–and their lives–forever.

First Line

“I was sitting at the edge of the clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me.”

My Review

The Eleventh Plague intrigued me from page one. Stephen and his father bury his grandfather, the man who didn’t hesitate to punish the slightest mistake with his fists yet kept them alive after the Collapse following an attack from China and the release of P11, also know as the Eleventh Plague. Stephen is conflicted, not sure how to feel about being free of the man who knew how to survive but made his life so miserable.

Stephen’s world is one full of danger and uncertainty, of struggling and salvaging to survive. Before he has the chance to adjust to life without his grandfather’s beatings, his father falls and Stephen is suddenly shouldered with the responsibility of caring for his injured father and finding a way to keep them alive. When they are discovered by a group of men, Stephen agrees to let them bring his father with them to their “city” to be cared for by their doctor.

I was fascinated reading about Stephen’s reactions to being inside a house for the first time, his struggle to adjust to life in a community, and his curiosity about Jenny, a Chinese girl who insists on rebelling against everyone and everything. I liked Stephen, but Jenny takes getting used to. She is blunt, bitter, and a fighter. When Jenny and Stephen play a prank on the leader of the town, there is a misunderstanding and the citizens find themselves at war.

The Eleventh Plague is a well-written, page-turning story that is disturbingly believable. I haven’t read much YA Dystopian, so I don’t know how it compares to others in the genre. I liked that the book didn’t end the way I thought it would. I find myself wanting to know more about this city and other areas in the United States after the Collapse. I don’t know if it is part of a series, but I would definitely read a sequel. I think that 14-16 year-old boys would probably really like this book.

Content

A few swear words; no sex (just kissing & not much at that); some violence (a battle); one scene in which the teens drink home brew around a lake and the main character takes a sip then declines offers of more.

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