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The World Ends in April

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The World Ends in April
By Stacy McAnulty
Random House Children's Books, 2019. Fiction.

Eleanor Dross is no stranger to the end of the world. Her grandfather is a hardcore survivalist who stockpiles MREs (meals ready to eat), takes Elle and her brothers "survival camping", and conducts surprise inspections of their "but out bags." That doesn't mean that Eleanor is a believer, though, until she stumbles across the website of a Harvard scientist who predicts that a massive asteroid will hit Earth and bring on TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World As We Know It). Now Elle is a believer - hardcore. To prepare for the day when the asteroid makes contact, Elle enlists the help of her best (only) friend Mack to form the "Nature Club" - a secret after-school club where Elle, Mack, and some fellow classmates learn skills to survive.

As TEOTWAWKI approaches, Elle becomes more anxious and the fast-paced novel excellently picks up on the growing tension. Readers will be propelled through the chapters to see whether the end of the world really comes. This is a fun and compelling book full of young "preppers," a massive internet conspiracy, and, eventually, the underlying reasons that Elle and the other Nature Club kids are hoping for the end of the world. As this story aptly deals with middle catastrophes and grief and loss, it remains an engaging and exciting read.



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