Before I Disappear by Danielle Stinson - OPTIONAL

Before I Disappear by Danielle Stinson 367 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2019. $18. 

Language: R (51 swears, 5 “f”), Mature Content: G Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Ever since Rosie’s dad left, she has been the parent to her mom and brother. She’s always hoping for something better, which is how they ended up in a small Oregon town built over an underground particle accelerator track. While Rosie is gone to apply for a Habitat for Humanity type house in the next town over, a strange geophysical force causes unusual weather and seismic activities. She rushes to get back to her brother and finds the town has just vanished. She is caught in a limbo forest between the vanished town and the rest of the world with several other kids, trying to save her brother and get out.

There are a lot of abstract ideas to sort out in this book. The lead up to the disaster is quite interesting. You have a dysfunctional family living in a trailer and just trying to get by. Later, the town’s disappearance is explained by an alternate world concept I found confusing. The book might initially grab you, but getting to the end isn’t a guarantee.

Reviewer: Valerie McEnroe, MLIS