The Kill Order by James Dashner - ESSENTIAL

Dashner, James The Kill Order, 327 p. Delacorte, 2012.  $18.  Violence: PG-13.  

After the Flare devastated the world, some ‘brilliant’ world leaders got together and decided there were too many people left for what resources were on hand.  SO they decided to send forth a plague in order to reduce the populations.  The virus, of course, has ideas of its own and has mutated beyond recognition ready to kill any one in its path, not just a few subjects.  On the run, Mark and Trina, with their protectors, Alec and Laina, have found a little girl who may be the key – she is immune to the plague.  But to whom should they talk and how can they get her there without dying? Maybe they can’t.  

Dashner has become really good at writing stomach churning sequences of death and destruction.  I am assuming there is another book after this one because, while it gives some background, it doesn’t answer very many questions.  The action is none stop, however, so it will still catch the attention of many teen reluctant readers.  

MS – ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher