Skip to main content

Books to Read...When It Feels Like the End of the World

The last few years have been a doozy.  Unless you've literally been hiding under a rock, you know what I'm talking about.  Also, if you have been hiding under a rock, is there room for one more under there?  But even when the world isn't in a state of chaos, sometimes what's happening in our individual lives still makes it feel like the end of the world. The characters in the books below can relate--and sometimes they really ARE facing the end of the world.   

It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit
By Justin A. Reynolds
Scholastic Press, 2022. Fiction.

Twelve year old Eddie is grounded at home doing laundry when the power goes out.  He sets out to see what's going on, meeting up with other neighbors on the way.  It soon seems that not only are they the only ones left in the neighborhood, they might be the only ones left anywhere.

It's the End of the World as I Know It
By Matthew Landis
Dial Books For Young Readers, 2019. Fiction.

Since Derrick lost his mom, he's been convinced the end of the world is just around the corner.  He's obsessed with a doomsday blog that tells him how to prepare to handle the impending end and is busy outfitting his shed to keep him safe and stockpiling food when the neighbor girl, Misty, reappears from a near death experience.  Misty is determined to assist Derrick with his preparations and their blossoming friendship might just help them both regain their footing in life.  

Race the Night
By Kirsten Hubbard
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016. Fiction.

Eider is living with the last of humankind behind a fence on a desert ranch.  She can't help but think about the world before and about a little sister who never existed.  When Teacher tells the children they will be tested for "specialness", Eider and the other children start to question everything.  

The World Ends In April
By Stacy McAnulty
Random House Books For Young Readers, 2019. Fiction.

When Eleanor reads an an article stating that an asteroid will hit the Earth in April, she starts a secret club at school to prepare kids for the end of the world.

Geeked Out
By Obert Skye
Henry Holt and Company, 2018. Fiction.

Even in a post apocalyptical world, school carries on! Geeky Tip and his nerdy friends start a secret vigilante group to try and save their middle school.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Fowl Play

  Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: A Game of Noctis

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...