Chris Weitz’s postapocalyptic adventure is a gritty, taut, and unexpectedly funny gem, made even more engrossing by expert narration. A mysterious Sickness has changed New York into a haunting alien world, and those remaining have banded into tribes for survival. But when two teenagers find a clue to a cure, they must embark on a journey into the unknown to save humankind. Jose Julian and Spencer Locke perfectly capture the brash, vibrant energy of these two youthful protagonists, timing their quips, confessions, and grousing perfectly, and creating a tense, compelling relationship that propels the plot forward. Through their eyes, the world of the story becomes a thoroughly engrossing one that readers will find hard to leave behind. B.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

…Weitz is a successful screenwriter because he is a fine—at times terrific—storyteller. Dystopian fantasies depend on details, and here they are often unforgettably right.

10/27/2014
Weitz kicks off a trilogy with a riveting adventure in which teenagers—the only ones immune to a fatal plague known as the Sickness—have inherited the Earth and are fighting over the remnants of New York City. Jefferson and Donna lead the group in their search to find a cure, with each chapter flipping back and forth between their points of view. Narrators Julian and Locke turn in a mixed performance of this postapocalyptic YA tale. Julian provides the voice for Jefferson and aptly captures his internal thoughts, but his portrayal, which sounds distanced and soft spoken, does not quite meld with the character of Loche’s Donna, who sounds a little too bubbly for how the character is written. Both narrations could use better sound balancing, as there are times when adjusting the audio is necessary to hear both characters. Ages 15–up. A Little, Brown hardcover. (July)

04/28/2014
Screenwriter/director Weitz (The Golden Compass; About a Boy) kicks off a post-apocalyptic trilogy with a riveting adventure in which teenagers—the only ones immune to a fatal plague known as the Sickness—have inherited the Earth and are fighting over the remnants of New York City. Narration alternates between Jefferson, the cautious and protective leader of the Washington Square Clan, and Donna, who Jefferson is falling for. When one of the group’s members, Brainbox, discovers a clue that might explain the origin of the Sickness, a few members of the tribe embark on an epic cross-town quest for information. As they make their way through the ruined city, they contend with cultists, cannibals, slavers, wild animals, and more. Weitz offers a satisfying YA interpretation of the Greek classic Anabasis, brimming with grisly encounters and gallows humor. He also finds room to touch upon issues of race, class, commercialism, and sexuality in nuanced moments that are sharply juxtaposed with the near-constant dangers and seeming hopelessness of the larger picture. A game-changing cliffhanger will have readers ready for the next book. Ages 15–up. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, William Morris Endeavor. (Aug.)

"A broken NYC is so compelling that readers will find it hard to put this book down."— School Library Journal

"A post-apcalyptic teen novel that's far from just another post-apocalytic teen novel."—Kirkus

"Telling his story in the alternating voices of Jeff and Donna, noted film director Weitz, in his first YA novel, has done a good job of meticulously building his postapocalyptic world."—Booklist

10/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—The premise is familiar—an apocalyptic event spares only teens who are now fighting, romancing, and wise-cracking their way to a better tomorrow. After the Sickness, survivors like Jefferson and Donna joined tribes, and now they use barter, looting, urban farming, and gunfights to get by. In his first novel, screenwriter Weitz (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) mixes clever teen slang and pop culture references with likable stock characters, such as the socially inept, brainiac, campy gay dude, and the feisty Chinese girl who's skilled at martial arts. Weitz peppers his story with such concepts as fiat currency and zoo animals in the Metropolitan Museum, as well as four-letter words and occasionally crude smack talk. When it appears that a scientific paper at the main branch of the New York Public Library might hold the secret to the Sickness, Jeff and his tribe decide to go get it. Narrator José Julián is superb as Jefferson, and Spencer Locke delivers a good (if slightly valley girl—inflected) performance as Donna. Both narrators read Weitz's screenplay-styled passages with a staccato "he said/she said" delivery, distinguishing speakers without need for a wide variety of accents or pitches. The Young World works well as an audiobook and is recommended for high school libraries.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Chris Weitz’s postapocalyptic adventure is a gritty, taut, and unexpectedly funny gem, made even more engrossing by expert narration. A mysterious Sickness has changed New York into a haunting alien world, and those remaining have banded into tribes for survival. But when two teenagers find a clue to a cure, they must embark on a journey into the unknown to save humankind. Jose Julian and Spencer Locke perfectly capture the brash, vibrant energy of these two youthful protagonists, timing their quips, confessions, and grousing perfectly, and creating a tense, compelling relationship that propels the plot forward. Through their eyes, the world of the story becomes a thoroughly engrossing one that readers will find hard to leave behind. B.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

2014-04-09
A twisted Neverland where you don't get older, you just die. As if traffic and congestion weren't enough to cope with in Manhattan, the rapid-fire, incurable Sickness has begun eliminating New Yorkers. Strangely, the only unaffected residents are teenagers. Stranger still, once the surviving teens reach their 18th birthdays, fever, coughs, delirium and death swiftly follow. A short life means there's no reason for civilized order, so New York devolves into Mad Max-like chaos. Union Square and Washington Square are no longer overpriced zip codes, they're pocket territories for tribes of gun-toting teens as likely to trade a pig for people as they are to resort to cannibalism. When the brainiac of one of these tribes theorizes that he can cure the Sickness, a cluster of five dives headfirst into the task of either saving civilization or prematurely ending their already doomed lives. Inclusion of New York landmarks lends an authenticity that makes the chaos frighteningly plausible. Through the dual narration of Jefferson, the focal tribe leader, and Donna, his crush, veteran screenwriter and director Weitz presents a veritable dichotomy of literary and commercial; Jefferson's chapters are intellectually elevated, while Donna often sounds like an elongated Facebook post. The action perseveres, the sex, blood and violence dominate, and race and class clashes continue headlong into the sequel. A post-apocalyptic teen novel that's far from just another post-apocalyptic teen novel. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 13 & up)