Gabe in the After

In the two years since "the summer the world ended," white Gabe Sweeney hasn't met anyone outside his small, racially diverse Maine island community, but he still looks forward to checking the mainland woods for survivors each week. Enjoying the quiet and daydreaming about the prestige of finding someone, the practical and conscientious 14-year-old meets a girl about his age, and takes her to the island that he shares with 17 other children and two adults following a population-decimating pandemic. Pale, red-haired Relle Douglas proves whimsically garrulous, enlivening the community with an imaginary best friend and an idea for a talent show, and Gabe soon develops an intense crush. When tragedy strikes, Gabe, a doctor's son and the island community's de facto medical expert, blames himself, subsequently lashing out at Relle. Devastated by their falling out, and intent on gaining further medical expertise and finding more survivors, Gabe travels with another child to a Massachusetts military base, encountering mild danger along the way. With occasional nods to Anne of Green Gables, Doleski's (Mary Underwater) postapocalyptic survival story weaves cozy and romantic elements with a haunting sense of loss, detailing the swift, shattering changes that can come with disaster. Ages 10-14. Agent: Veronica Park, Fuse Literary. (June)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 5 Up--Fourteen-year-old Gabe Sweeney doesn't believe he will ever meet anyone new. After people started getting sick, including Gabe's parents and younger sister, he was sent to a coastal island off Maine with 17 other children and two adults who were not experiencing symptoms. In the two years since the pandemic, they have carved out a life for themselves. Even though they travel to the mainland for supplies, no one has seen any evidence of survivors, until one day Gabe finds the boisterous, optimistic, red-headed Relle Douglas on one of his scouting missions to the mainland. Gabe falls for Relle and her zest for life, but tragedy hits the island, and Gabe--who considers himself the island's medical expert--decides he needs to venture back to the mainland to find the rumored military base and a doctor. As Gabe, his ever-present dog Mud, and friend Wynnie set out on their trek, they learn that there are others out there who have also survived. With a dedication to Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe, Doleski does not hide that Relle and Gabe are her version of Anne and Gilbert, but this is where the comparisons end. VERDICT Although there is potential in Gabe's journey and awakening, the experiences along the journey to the Massachusetts' military base and back to the island are anticlimactic and leave the reader with more questions than answers. A secondary purchase.--Rebekah J. Buchanan

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

**STARRED REVIEW**
"The post-apocalyptic world Doleski offers up, both on the island and on Gabe's mainland journey, is a surprisingly generous and perhaps even realistic look at humanity. . .The book's parallels to current events invite readers to try to find that tender, elusive spot between resigned nihilism and blind hope in a world that is both brutal and beautiful. . .they'll likely find solace and encouragement as Gabe and Relle move toward a future that offers little safety but plenty of wonder." — "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"