The Dead and the Gone

Alex Morales is an average high schooler focused on his after-school job, helping his dad out with building superintendent responsibilities, and getting good grades so he can make it into an Ivy League college. But when the moon alters its gravitational pull and catastrophic events ensue, everything changes. Now, he has to care for his younger sisters, decide whether it’s ethical to rob the dead, and keep the hope alive that their lost parents will return. Bone-chilling and harrowing, Susan Beth Pfeffer investigates what it takes to survive when the odds are stacked against you in this captivating story about sacrifice and humanity.

He’s no longer a student hoping for college—he’s the only thing standing between his sisters and the end of the world.

• Post-Apocalyptic Thriller: Experience the collapse of New York City as tsunamis, blackouts, and riots turn familiar streets into a combat zone.
• Found Family: With his parents missing, seventeen-year-old Alex becomes the sole protector for his two younger sisters, Briana and Julie, in a desperate fight to keep them safe.
• Gritty Urban Survival: Follow Alex’s harrowing journey as he’s forced to loot empty apartments and decide if it’s ethical to rob the dead to feed his family.
• Coming of Age: A powerful story of a high school junior whose dreams of college are shattered, forcing him to become the man of the house overnight.