Alone by Megan E. Freeman [Review]

Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: May 14, 2023

Purchase Links: Paperback | Kindle

Megan E. Freeman
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Thoughts on Alone: I picked up this book because my niece (who's 9) had read it, really liked it, and wanted me to read it. Not a problem, boo. Mostly. To be blunt, I'm normally not a huge fan of books written in verse, but I adore my niece and liked that she wanted to share something she enjoyed with me so I was willing to give it a go.

GUESS WHAT? Verse worked HARD for this book. I can honestly say I don't think it would have had nearly the impact it had if it had been written in a more traditional format (and by that I mean with paragraphs and less stream of consciousness and whatnot). Maddie's experiences SANG (not literally) when read this way.

I'm also going to say I had maybe had a little anxiety about what I thought was coming. Always expecting the worst does a number on a person's nerves, I guess. But Maddie survived and made good choices for the most part (I get what she was doing when she left her name and address around town so people would know to look for her, but HOLY HANNAH IT STRESSED ME OUT TO THINK OF ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG) and things worked out for the best.

Bottom line: My niece has good taste in books and I'm glad she asked me to read this one. *thumbs up*