Gone

Fourteen year old Sam Templeton is having a completely normal day until his teacher disappears - poof! - in the middle of a class. He and his confused classmates soon discover that it isn't only their teacher who is gone - everyone over the age of fifteen has inexplicably disappeared from the small town of Perdido Beach, which has been isolated from the rest of the world by a mysterious forcefield.

So what happens now?  Sam and his friends Quinn, Edilio and Astrid attempt to restore order to the rapidly developing chaos and to work out what is happening to their town.  But then a convoy of cards from the out-of-town school, Coates Academy appears, led by the charismatic and sinister Caine who quickly seizes power.

Blending Lost with Lord of the Flies, this is a fast-paced, gripping, all-action novel that doesn't pull any punches. With spare dialogue and hard-hitting scenes of violence, it's certainly not for the faint-hearted, but there's no doubt that Gone delivers a powerfully exciting and engrossing read.