America is nearly destroyed after a strain of influenza called the eleventh plague deciamtes the country. Hundreds of millions of people die and civilization collaspes in the aftermath of the plague.

15-year old stephen quinn is one of the children born after the eleventh plague. Stephen, his grandfather, and father live their lives as salvager, people who roam areas of the country collecting any items leftover that still may have a use and trading them. After his grandfather dies and his father is injured and falls into a coma after a run-in with slavers, Stephen is left on his own to try to keep him and his father alive. A group of people accidentally stumble upon him and his father and offer to take them to a place that can offer them help, called Settler's Landing.

When Stephen arrives in Settler's Landing he is astonished by the atmosphere there, it is almost as if the people there were never touched by the aftermath of the Eleveth plague:schools are still open, thanksgiving is celebrated, and the people are friendly.

But Stephen soon finds out that all is not perfect in the apaprent paradise of Settler's landing, when he meets Jenny, the misfit,who delights in breaking the rules, starting fights, and getting into trouble. When Stephen and Jenny play a prank that has terrible consequences they must try to fix their mistake before, Settler's Lannding and a Rival Town erupt into all out war.

Elventh Plague is an excellent post-apocalyptical book. It examines how even when America has changed so drastically, old predjudices are retained in the minds of many. At times, especially, during the beginning of the book the pacing is rather slow, and towards the ending it is slightly rushed. Also,the book would have benefited from greater exposition, a broad picture of what America is like is painted for the reader but, more details are needed. Currently there are no plans for a sequel and although the Eleventh plague nicely wraps up Jenny and Stephen's stories, there is still plenty of material left to write about these two charcters and the world they live in.

Age Group: mature 14 year-olds and up

Content: References to slavers taking people and selling them, references to teen and adult characters drinking alcoholic beverages, references to several charcters being injured, curse words bi..., a teen gets drunk, a graphic recount of a mass shooting.

Disclaimer: This book was obtained from YA book central in a giveaway.(less)