Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. Gwen will stop at nothing to get her sister back, but as she sets out, she crosses paths with a mysterious and charismatic boy named Pete. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England’s borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook is on the hunt for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the surviving children. They spend their nights scavenging, and their days spent avoiding the deadly Marauders-the German army led by the cutthroat Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer. The only ones who have survived the destruction and the outbreak of a deadly virus are children, among them sixteen-year-old Gwen Darling and her younger siblings, Joanna and Mikey. The premise: From the inside front cover, “London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease.

The jacket art is by Jacey and the design is by Christopher Stengel. The author’s name is just below this single image and it’s definitely a smart illustration to peak readers’ interests to get them to pick this book up. The cover: Gold flitters down from the title to lead viewers to the back of a blonde haired young girl wearing a yellow top, blue jeans, black boots, and metallic wings as she runs off into the darkness. Note: I read an advanced copy so anything may have changed by publication. Intended for ages 12 and up, Grades 7 and up. Also available in ebook and audio formats.

Everland by Wendy Spinale