The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty - OPTIONAL

The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty, 362 pages.  Random House, 2019.  $17.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Eleanor is a middle schooler whose grandfather is a survivalist and she has been run through drills her whole life, just in case.  When Eleanor reads of an asteroid that is headed towards earth and will crash into the planet in April, Eleanor begins to take her grandfather’s skills seriously.  Eleanor shares her concerns with her best friend, Mac, and together they start a survivalist club at school.  But when Eleanor’s father hears of her obsession and fears, he tries to stop her club and forbids Eleanor from talking to her grandfather about the end of the world.  

I loved McAnulty’s book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, so I was super excited about this book.  I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the premise of Eleanor’s middle school drama, but by the end I was frustrated with Eleanor’s inability to listen to those who loved her over the rantings of a scientist online.  The ending was hard to read because Eleanor couldn’t get out of her own way and it became too predictable.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson