Book excerpt: “What is this place?” In a drought-stricken world, Devin and his grandfather have barely scraped out a living on their isolated farm. When his grandfather dies, Devin knows he can’t manage alone and heads for the nearest city to find help. But in the city he finds only children alone like him, living on the streets. Then a small act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood—a place with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new home. But Devin soon finds out that the Gabriel Penn Home is no paradise. A zombie-like sickness afflicts many of the children who live there—and it will claim Devin, too, unless he can become the first to find a way out of this dystopian nightmare. “[A] chilling and engrossing tale . . . A standout.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Fast-paced and gripping. An original dystopian story.” —School Library Journal, starred review “A timeless story that deserves to become a children’s classic for decades to come.” —The Christian Science Monitor A Summer 2014 Kids’ Indie Next List Pick One of the Christian Science Monitor’s 25 Best New Middle Grade Novels of 2014