This is a really well written title with a rock solid premise – California has run out of water. Everyone sort-of knew it was coming but was sure that there would be some plans in place to make sure that nobody would suffer once the taps stopped working, this was their biggest mistake.

The story follows to lives of a group of kids from very different backgrounds and how they cope in this disaster. Alyssa and her brother, Garett, are from a normal suburban household and weren’t prepared for this at all but they adapt well to the situation while Kelton, their next door neighbour is from a doomsday prepping family. In their search for safety and water, they meet a couple of other teens who I felt weren’t as well developed as characters so I struggled to sympathise with them.

The book flips perspectives between the characters, which is something I love – seeing the same story through the eyes of everyone involved.

I enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book much more than the ending, I would have much rather there had be a sequel and the story ended in a more satisfying way than the current ending that I felt was a bit rushed and left too many loose ends. That said, I have read other books by the author Neal Shusterman and hold him to a very high standard so I might just be being picky here…

About the Authors

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.

As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the “Goosebumps” and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is developing an original TV series with his son, Jarrod, and adapting Tesla’s Attic with co-writer Eric Elfman for TV as well.

Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers — such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal’s novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.

Jarrod Shusterman is the author of the short story “UnDevoured” in bestselling UnBound. He writes for film and television, and his talents extend to directing films and commercials. He was the story producer on the television movie Zedd—Moment of Clarity, and he and his father Neal Shusterman are adapting Dry for the screen. Jarrod lives in Los Angeles but enjoys traveling internationally, and is currently studying Spanish.

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