"Plague" (Gone #4) by Michael Grant

497 pages

It's been eight months since the world was turned upside in Perdido Beach, California. Everyone over the age of 15 disappeared without a trace; kids and animals began to develop bizarre powers; and the Darkness in the cave began gaining power. Sam and his friends are trying to keep everyone fed and safe from the Darkness. The evil Drake is contained for the time being, but the town is running out of water. When Sam leaves to find a water source, Drake escapes and begins planning his next attack. Meanwhile, a fatal plague breaks out among the kids, a sickness that even Lara the Healer can't fix. Things have been bad before, but it looks like even Sam might not be able to fix this crisis.

This series just gets more and more weird, in a totally random way. I can't imagine how all of it is going to be explained in the end, but it's intrigued me enough that I've got to find out what happens. I'm really into the characters at this point, and multiple storylines keep things fresh and interesting. This particular book has a bit less action than the others in the series thus far, but it still moves pretty quickly. This is a great series to recommend to younger teens who like way-out-there sci-fi and fantasy.