The Eleventh Plague (Advanced Reading Copy)

Title: The Eleventh Plague
Author: Jeff Hirsch
Ages: 12 and up
Publication Date: September 2011


Plot:

The Eleventh Plague:  a deadly strain of flu released by the Chinese government on the United States in response to nuclear war.  It all happened nearly twenty years ago—the Collapse.  Now the people of America are no longer united: no government, no police force, no form of currency.  No electricity, or running water, no grocery stores, or medical facilities.  Survivors and doing just that-- surviving.  Some have formed small towns, scattered throughout the now vast landscape; others salvage, trading whatever small valuables they come across for food, clothing, or weapons. Militant groups and Slavers also exist, threatening the freedom and well being of anyone they come across. 

Fifteen year old Stephen Quinn, his father, and his grandfather are salvagers, constantly on the move, north to south, searching for items worth trading.  Stephen has learned to trust no one, because his grandfather trusted no one.  It was his grandfather’s coldhearted survival instincts, after all, that had gotten them through so much over the past years since the Collapse.

But that’s all about to change.  Stephen’s grandfather has died, and now it’s just father and son who are left to continue on their own. But only twenty-four hour later, as Stephen and his dad attempt to rescue a woman and child who have been captured by slavers, Mr. Quinn falls down a gorge and into a raging river. Knocked unconscious from a serious head wound, Mr. Quinn slips into a coma, and Stephen has no choice but to trust a group of men who promise shelter and medical attention at Settler’s Landing—a small, protected town where they live. 

Settler’s Landing.  The closest thing to a “normal” community since before the Collapse.  Houses—real houses that survived the war, a school house where students read novels and textbooks salvaged by community members, a park with swings and a baseball diamond.  It’s a place where people work together to survive; a place that welcomes few strangers.  Yet they take in Stephen and his dad, who remains in a coma. Stephen has never known any other life other than salvaging, and he struggles to let his guard down, even as Marcus and Violet Green open their home to them, even as Violet- a nurse before the Collapse- tends to his father, even as the other teenagers in the community try to make him feel welcome.

Stephen soon has two problems: Will Henry, a vengeful teen who wants nothing more than to get Stephen and his dad thrown out of town, and Jenny, a smart-mouthed girl who gets Stephen into as much trouble as she does getting him out of trouble-- and he can't help but be attracted to her.  So when Will goes too far with his taunts and accusations, Stephen and Jenny plan a prank that goes horribly wrong, bringing far more danger to the tiny community than it can handle.  Now Stephen must make a choice between leaving, and living the kind of life that he’s only known, or staying to fight for a life that might be possible.

Review:

Suzanne Collins describes this book as one that “hits disturbingly close to home.”  She’s right.  This book made me wonder if our world really could fall apart so devastatingly easy, and it made me appreciate all the things that many of us take for granted, like opening the refrigerator to pull out a cold soda, or turning on the faucet to take a warm bath, or flicking a switch to turn on the lights at night. Hirsch’s writing is so precise and well crafted that it pulled me into the story by paragraph one.  Imagine having to bury your grandfather while, at the same time, wondering if you should remove his gold ring to later trade for food or bullets.  Imagine growing up and seeing dilapidated shopping malls, amusement parks, and McDonald’s restaurants without ever knowing what it must have been like before.  Imagine always having to be on the move, on the lookout, to never have slept in a real bed, or go to the movie theatre, or play baseball with your friends.

The world that Jeff Hirsch has created in this novel is captivating, and the relationships that he creates between Stephen Quinn and the other teens at Settler’s Landing are realistic, poignant, and entertaining.  I can’t wait to share this novel with my students this fall.  Oh, and the cover rocks!

--Ms. Plisko