The Only Ones

During one afternoon, everyone in the world disappears--except for a small group of children. Martin believes his father's unfinished machine is connected to the event, but he needs the help of the other kids to complete it. With a colorful cast of characters and a unique setting, the story will appeal to sci-fi fans on their way to Robert Heinlein.

The premise of a community governed and populated solely by children will be inherently interesting to young readers, who will no doubt speculate on how they would live in, contribute to, and run such a society. Clues regarding the novel’s many mysteries—why Martin Maple was raised outside civilization, why nearly everyone on earth disappeared, why Martin’s father was building a strange machine—are meted out at a steady pace, providing continuous interest. Aaron Starmer’s lucid prose and detailed descriptions vividly bring the setting to life: “Martin sat on a wooden stool, in the middle of a church. The pews had been removed, and in a haphazard circle around him, a group of approximately forty kids reclined on sofas and plush chairs. A stocky boy with a mess of curly red hair circled the room with a large candle, lighting smaller candles that had melted into the ledges next to the soot-caked windows.” An engaging and diverse cast, from a feisty, flirtatious California girl to a bloody-minded boy who claims to commune with animals. In contrast to the many outsized characters, Martin is very relatable—just like the book’s audience, he’s observing this world and meeting these kids for the first time.