Away

Gr 5 Up--Freeman returns to the world Maddie survived in Alone, wherein the 12-year-old is left behind after her town is evacuated due to an "imminent threat." This story features the perspectives of those who leave including Ashanti, 12, who wants to be a doctor like her mother who is caring for the whole camp; Grandin, 14, who wants to be a rancher like his father who escaped the forced abandonment to save his stock; Harmony, 12, who wants to be a journalist like Nellie Bly; and Teddy, 11, who wants to be a filmmaker. This story is delivered through their separate perspectives in verse, using different typefaces to distinguish their narratives. Remembered movie plots that become metaphors for the action explain the teens' and tweens' concerns, and become blueprints for how they might discover the truth behind their quarantined incarceration. Interspersed throughout are news briefs, letters, screenplays, and descriptions of classic cinema. The pace is fast with plenty of action, skimming over plot holes with quick explanations and specific references. This sequel is sure to attract readers who enjoyed Maddie's story. VERDICT Intended readers are more likely to suspend disbelief and gloss over credibility issues as they tear through the text to see what happens to Maddie and her community.--Janet S. Thompson

Four young people come together in a relocation camp after they're suddenly evacuated from their Colorado homes. In this companion toAlone (2021), Ashanti Johnson, 12, Grandin Stone, 14, Harmony Addams-Paul, 12, Teddy Brenkert, 11, and their families are whisked off to a fenced-in camp amid urgent announcements of a never-specified threat. There, they're cut off by armed guards and a cell phone ban from all contact with the outside world. Eventually, after nearly two years of official obfuscation and foot dragging, they come to suspect that all is not as it seems. The plot and the whole scenario require a major suspension of disbelief, but to readers who can roll with it, Freeman delivers an engaging tale in which young crusaders strive to overcome both parental passivity and corrupt authorities to discover and expose a dastardly scheme. Of the leads, only Grandin, who comes from a ranching family and hopes to become an environmentalist, wrestles with sharp feelings of displacement, but the others do have a variety of personal interests (such as Ashanti's deep knowledge of Greek mythology) and family issues that emerge. The narrative unfolds in introspective free verse, transcripts of radio broadcasts, stories in the camp's newspaper by student journalist Harmony, and scripted film scenes by aspiring filmmaker Teddy (whose behavior may signal neurodiversity). Most characters present white; Ashanti is cued Black. Scary and satisfying, for all its implausibility.(Verse fiction. 11-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.