After the Snow

Young Adult Fiction

F/A  Crockett, S.D.  After the Snow.  Feiwel and Friends, 2012.  304p.  978-0-312-64169-6.  $16.99.

During the second ice age, Willo and his family live a secluded life in the middle of nowhere. One day when Willo returns home from hunting, his family is gone, presumed arrested. Willo must survive in the snowy wilderness by himself now. That is until he meets Mary, another abandoned child. Their travels lead them back to the big city where they go their separate ways. Willo meets an old man who helps him survive in the city and ultimately learn more about who he really is and where he needs to go. Most of the book is written in a weird dialect (Willo’s voice), which is pretty distracting. Plus Willo has a strange habit of talking to his inner “mad dog.” The novel turns from a survival story into a dystopian about halfway through and I think it would have been better solely as a survival story. Readers who enjoyed the Chaos Walking or Dust Lands series, will be disappointed in this similar read. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve