Pod »

Surviving a massive alien siege is one thing-­surviving humanity is another.

I'm all cried out. I'm still alone. The sky is full of giant spinning black balls that kill anyone stupid enough to go outside. I've only been out of the car twice-once to pee and once to look at the sky. That one look was enough for me. Now I sit alone in the car, staring out the window like a rat in a cage. But I don't have anyone to look at. The parking garage is empty, except for twisted-up cars, broken glass, and the smell of leaking gasoline.

POD is the story of a global cataclysmic event, told from the viewpoints of Megs, a twelve-year-old streetwise girl trapped in a hotel parking garage in Los Angeles; and sixteen-year-old Josh, who is stuck in a house in Prosser, Washington, with his increasingly obsessive-compulsive father. Food and water and time are running out. Will Megs survive long enough to find her mother? Will Josh and his father survive each other?

Publishers Weekly

Debut novelist Wallenfels delivers an intense novel of humanity's reaction to an alien invasion. When the PODs—hovering alien balls that obliterate any humans who venture outdoors—appear, 15-year-old Josh and his father are trapped inside their house in a small Washington town. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Megs is trapped in a parking garage in California, waiting for her mother to return. The story alternates between each protagonist, as Josh faces internal struggles over his isolation and his father's increasing depression, and Megs deals with a dangerous group that has taken over an adjacent hotel. Wallenfels isn't afraid to take risks, often yanking hope away from the characters in the most painful ways, and it usually pays off. By focusing on the humans and keeping the aliens' motivations shrouded in mystery, he creates a tense environment for readers. There are some bits that fall flat—Megs's adventures, in particular, seem to be artificially extended over the 28 days of the story, and rely too often on conveniently overheard conversations, but, overall, the book is fast-paced and engrossing. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)