Alone

Twelve-year-old Maddie plans a secret sleepover at her grandmother’s empty apartment, but she wakes up to find her entire town abandoned. During the night, a mysterious mass emergency caused a total evacuation, leaving Maddie behind with only her neighbor’s Rottweiler for company. She must navigate several years of isolation in a Colorado suburb as the power grid fails and resource scarcity begins. Written in verse, the narrative details her practical methods for scavenging canned goods, securing a desolate house against looters and wildlife, and maintaining her mental health through books and internal dialogue.

Middle-grade readers who enjoy survival scenarios and Robinsonade stories will find a modern, suburban version of the genre here. Those interested in the technicalities of self-sufficiency under pressure can observe how Maddie solves problems involving water purification and physical safety. The book provides a look at the psychological toll of long-term loneliness and the resilience required to manage a household as a child. Readers finish the story with a realistic perspective on how environment and routine dictate human behavior when social structures disappear.