The Eleventh Plague

by Jeff Hirsch

Overview

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler's Landing--and their lives--forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545388092
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jeff Hirsch graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with an MFA in dramatic writing, and is the USA TODAY bestselling author of THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE and MAGISTERIUM. He lives in Beacon, New York, with his wife. Visit him online at www.jeff-hirsch.com.

Read an Excerpt

From The Eleventh Plague

Dad turned all around, sheets of water coursing off his head and shoulders. I wanted to scream that it was pointless, that we needed to keep running, but then there was another crack and a flash of lightning, and for a second it seemed like there might be a ridge of some kind out ahead of us. Dad grabbed my elbow and pulled us toward it.

"Come on! Maybe there's shelter!"

By then, the ground had turned to a slurry of mud and rocks and wrecked grass. Every few steps my feet would sink deep into it and I'd have to pull myself out one foot at a time, terrified that I'd lose sight of Dad and be lost out in that gray nothing, alone forever.

As we ran, the ridge ahead of us became more and more solid, a great looming black wall. I prayed for a cave, but even a good notch in the rock wall would have been enough to get us out of the rain and hide until morning. We were only fifty feet or so from it when Dad came to an abrupt halt.

"Why are we stopping?!"

Dad didn't say anything, he simply pointed.

Between us and the ridge there was an immense gash in the earth, a gorge some thirty feet across and another thirty deep, with steep, muddy walls on our side and the ridge on the opposite. A boiling mess of muddy water, tree stumps, and trash raged at the bottom.

Dad searched left and right for a crossing, but there wasn't any. His shoulders slumped. Even through the curtain of rain I could see the sunken hollow of his eyes, deep red-lined pits that sat in skin as gray as the air around us.

"I'm sorry, Stephen. I swear to God, I'm so sorry."

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6–10—This postapocalyptic tale begins with more excitement than the rest of the book delivers. Steve, 15, was born after the Collapse, and he only knows the nomadic struggle for survival that he and his family have experienced. With his mother and grandfather dead, only he and his father remain. When an act of heroic kindness on his father's part goes horribly wrong, Steve must turn to a group of strangers for help. Much of the rest of the novel deals with his learning to trust the citizens of the small settlement, as well as his burgeoning relationship with Jenny, an angry young woman whose rage is never quite demystified. The characters and action are not as compelling as in the best teen fiction in the genre. This book will likely appeal to younger teens who want in on the postapocalyptic trend, but want to avoid graphic violence.—Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA

School Library Journal

Although it relies on some increasingly common dystopian tropes, Hirsch's debut novel is an impressive story with strong characters. A generation after China released a weaponized plague on the U.S., the nation is in ruins, and 15-year-old Stephen wanders the country as a scavenger. Shortly after Stephen's grandfather dies, his father has an accident crossing a river and is incapacitated. Stephen finds himself at the small village of Settler's Landing, where a group of survivors have created an isolated haven of sorts, a far cry from the life Stephen is used to. While there, he meets Jenny, a girl of Chinese descent who is ostracized because of her race. Even as Stephen worries about his father's fate (and his own), he begins to fall for Jenny, and they are both drawn into the horrors of their world, sometimes through their own miscalculated actions. Hirsch delivers a tight, well-crafted story, and although the world-building is light on detail regarding the global cataclysm and its aftermath, most readers will be able to accept the hand-waving and enjoy the action and danger. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE"THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE hits disturbingly close to home, vividly depicting a world that has nose-dived into a futuristic nightmare. . . . An excellent, taut debut novel." —Suzanne Collins, author of THE HUNGER GAMES" A gripping survival drama." —USA TODAY"Sure to be a hit among fans of dystopias." —BOOKLIST"An impressive story with strong characters." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

From the Publisher

Ten years after the U.S. has been devastated by biological warfare wrought by China, Stephen and his family survive by scavenging the American landscape. Dan Bittner skillfully embodies the teen as tragedy strikes and Stephen must suddenly fend for himself. Ending up in a real town for the first time ever, Stephen experiences conflict between his distrust of strangers and his longing for the idyllic existence he glimpses. Each outburst, each emotional shutdown, each request for help is perfectly believable when presented in Bittner’s even but emotionally layered delivery. When Stephen befriends Jenny, a girl ostracized because of her Chinese heritage, a prank incites war in the town. Bittner’s well-tempered narration suits both the action scenes and the moral conundrums that follow. J.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2011 - AudioFile

Hirsch's debut explores the creation of a new civilization out of post-apocalyptic ruin.

Teenage salvager Stephen Quinn has heard stories about what America was like before collapsing due to a war with China and a virulent influenza. His paranoid grandfather keeps their family alive through harsh rules. After Stephen's grandfather dies, Stephen's father abandons their isolationism and is critically injured rescuing captives from slavers. Stephen lets go of his reluctance to trust strangers and accepts help from a scouting party. The scouts' town, Settler's Landing, attempts to recapture an idealized American past, complete with cookouts and baseball games. But Settler's Landing is no utopia, thanks to Caleb Henry, the token rich villain, and his stereotypical bully of a son, Will, who is convinced Stephen's a spy from nearby Fort Leonard. Will's usual target, wild Chinese girl Jenny, bonds with Stephen over their shared outcast status, while her adopted brother Jackson pulls him into youth sports, and teacher Mr. Tuttle encourages his intellectual growth. Stephen and Jenny inadvertently set off a chain of impulsive actions that jeopardize more than just Settler's Landing. Stephen's underlying internal conflict about the clash between social obligations and personal survival ties the first-person narration together and physically manifests in the climax.

At times heavy-handed, but the author's enthusiasm shines through.(Dystopia. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews