Night of the Purple Moon by Scott CramerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I received a copy of the book via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
On the Island of Castine in Maine, Abby Leigh was looking forward to watching the moon turn purple. A comet called the Rudenko-Kasparov is scheduled to pass by and when the Earth enters the comet’s tail astronomers predicted there will be weeks of colorful sunsets, sunrises and a purple moon. Little did she know that the comet's space dust will cause more than just a purple moon.
The following day, Abby and her siblings wake up to learn that all the adults have died. Their next door neighbors, Kevin and Emily Patel, join them and all five kids try to figure out what has happened and what they should do next.
They learn from a CDC broadcast that the space dust has carried with it some form of disease that kills humans after they reach puberty. The children then try to gather the rest of the kids on the island and they try to make do with what resources they have to stay alive. They work together to make a life for themselves.
They dispose of the dead bodies, care for the younger children, plant gardens, and even start a school of sorts. But then the older kids start to get sick as they reach puberty and the kids now have to start burying some of their own. To make matters worse, the taps have gone dry and their supply of clean water may not last long.
Then the CDC broadcasts that they have developed an antibiotic that will be distributed in the cities. The kids decide that Abby and Jordan, who are now sick themselves should go and get the medicine. The siblings sail to the city to find that kids there have not been as resourceful as they have been and life is much harder.
Night of the Purple Moon is a YA dystopian novel and is also the first of the Toucan series. The story reminds me of the Gone series by Michael Grant -- the story of which is about kids who suddenly find that all adults have disappeared and they need to start living on their own.
The difference is that, in Night of the Purple Moon, the kids are not in some bubble or dome and that the adults just did not disappear in the blink of an eye but actually got sick because of the space dust then died. And, most importantly, there is a lot less violence -- thank goodness.
The idea of space germs entering the atmosphere after a comet passes by is something new for me. Night of the Purple Moon is an okay read and would be a book many young adults may enjoy.
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