Dry

DRY
Neal & Jarrod Shusterman
Simon & Schuster, 2018 390 pages
Grades 7-Up
Adventure

Multiple first-person points of views convey the story of a near-future drought in California that reaches desperate proportions as the state runs out of water completely. At first people don't panic. They are assured that FEMA and other states will send emergency teams to ship water to them, but as time goes by and little help is forthcoming, life starts getting crazy. Alyssa's parents go in search of water and never return, leaving her as the custodian for her little brother, Garrett. They team up with neighbor, Kelton, whose family has been preparing for such a scenario his whole life. Kelton's house is a fortress, until a tragedy breaks down the walls and allows for neighbors to loot all of the emergency provisions. The three young people take to the road, where they encounter Jacqui, a runaway with survival skills and a smart mouth, who joins their ranks. After fighting off "water zombies" and encountering all kinds of people, both good and bad, the team manages to track down Alyssa and Garrett's very sick uncle and “borrow” his truck. It is here that they pick up the final member of the team, Henry, whose intentions are less than honorable. The group chooses to trust him, which leads to complications. Kelton knows of a secret hideout with supplies that his father had put together in a state park. Can they make it in time? And what will they find once they get there?

Bestselling and award winning teen author, Neal Shusterman, teams up with his screen-writing son for a fast-paced novel of cinematic proportions that has already been optioned to be made into a motion picture. Almost dystopian/science fiction, Dry is set in the very near future and feels as if it could happen tomorrow. The novel clearly has an environmental agenda and carries it out in a very effective and entertaining way. There is no way that you will look at water the same way after reading this book and young people are sure to be more responsible with this vital resource. The action starts pretty much right away and life tanks quickly for these Californians. The first-person shifting points of view make the book easy for all young people to relate to the characters and feel as if they are living the crisis. It is hard to put the book down and, although it is nearly 400 pages, it reads very quickly. Both male and female readers will enjoy Dry and it really has something for everyone. There are violent bits and a part that eludes to a young person having to trade sexual favors for water, but nothing is overtly graphic. The book is clearly a stand-alone, so readers won't be forced to read two more books to reach the conclusion of the crisis. My only complaint is the epilogue at the end, which offers a neat conclusion and everything tried up with a bow. I wish that the book stopped before this last bit to leave the readers wondering about the fate of some of the characters. Teen readers appreciate a clean and happy conclusion, but I found it a bit forced and cheapened the story a bit. The target audience won't care. They will happily lap up this story, breathe a sigh of relief and pass the book onto their friends.