ALONE is a unique, riveting tale in verse that will appeal to fans of books like HATCHET or the "I Survived" series. This was a hard book to put down!

A novel-in-verse that makes for a delightfully fast read, about a young girl accidentally left behind when her Colorado town is abruptly evacuated. The spare, to-the-point prose starkly captures Maddie's emotions and struggles to survive and remain strong--physically, mentally, and emotionally--as she endures life with only her neighbor's dog George for a companion. (George is the best boy ever!) I think this book will especially resonate with young readers now, with so many enduring long months of lockdown and isolate from family and friends. A strong MG debut!

Wow. What a gripping and unforgettable survival book. Maddie’s town is faced with an emergency evacuation and everyone is forced to leave. Maddie, on a secret sleepover, is now alone. When she goes home, Maddie does find her dog but also finds there is no electricity and no cell service. Now that she is completely and utterly alone, Maddie encounters hazardous weather, looters, and wild animals while figuring out how to stay alive . What she experiences over the many, many months truly tests her fortitude. She realizes you “can’t agonize over what you can’t control.” Her toughest trial is the loneliness. She can’t control her future and knows she needs to worry about the now and live her best life while she can. This was THE best survival book I’ve ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!
Let me preface this by sharing my appreciation for novels written in verse! I think the way they flow is so fun, so I'm always interested in recommendations in this writing style.

"I am a ghost, haunting this town"

Imminent threat.
Evacuation.
Operation Relocate Freedom.
Maddie is stranded in an empty town. Everyone is missing. And she has no idea whats going on.

Okay this was sooooo good! I couldn't put it down. The author was able to capture a lot of emotions with the flow of her verse, and the story was captivating. It stayed pretty fast paced right through the ending! I wish I could've seen more from this story. Overall 4.5 🌟!

"Staying alive isn't easy
But it's a heck of a lot easier than
Keeping my heart hopeful and
My mind focused
On what's
Real"

This was the first novel that I've read in verse and wowza - it was amazing. Freeman's poetry is so captivating and the story she builds is incredible. I couldn't put this down and will be shouting about it from the rooftops.

What a moving, thoughtfully written, adventure book. I was captivated from the beginning. Following Maddie and George’s adventure as they were left behind after a mysterious evacuation of their entire town. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time and so worried about their survival. Great story! I would love a sequel to find out what happens next...

This debut novel in verse was so good! I had to stop myself from reading it all in one day. The survival story of a girl named Maddie after her entire town has been evacuated and all the crazy, yet realistic issues she faces. The prose flowed easily and sweetly throughout the novel.

I would have liked to know a little more about the cause/imminent threat and would love a second story follow up. I will definitely recommend this story to readers.

I generally enjoy survival stories, and I enjoy novels in verse, but I wasn't sure how the two would work together. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this story, and I was absolutely blown away. I fell in love with Maddie (and her rescue dog George) and ended up reading this book in one sitting. The plot moved along at a brisk clip but there was still plenty of time to contemplate Maddie's fear, loneliness, heartache, and hope, and readers won't be able to resist putting themselves in Maddie's shoes and rooting for her survival. This book is a must-have for teachers and librarians!

I read this in a couple of hours. The plot is engrossing, and the writing is beautiful. I highly recommend this book! Very readable; a good addition to any classroom library!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this lovely book. Middle school me would have inhaled this book even faster than adult me—and I read it really fast, so that’s saying something. I wish I could quote from this uncorrected proof, because there were several passages that rang so true to our quarantined and lonely world even though this book was written pre-pandemic. Like I did, readers will relate to Maddie’s isolation and loneliness while admiring her smart decision making and resourcefulness. I highly recommend this book!

A very compelling page-turner. Fans of the "I Survived" series would love this book. Thanks to the publisher for the early copy! A very exciting debut and I'm looking forward to reading the author's next book.

Wow! Just wow. I have no idea how to even put into words my thoughts and feelings about this book. By the time I finished reading I was alternating between..
(1) Thinking about what I plan to do with my one wild and precious life?
(2) Double checking my pantry to see what I currently have in stock.

This novel in verse follows Maddie as she wakes up one morning completely and utterly alone. A beautiful story of hope and resilience and a nod to some wonderful poetry, books and libraries. I liked the nod to the book "Island of the Blue Dolphins" and there were definitely similarities in the book to Hatchet. Would be a great middle grade option when students are reading survival stories.

With thanks to NetGalley and Aladdin for an early copy in return for an honest review.

This novel in verse follows Maddie, a pre-teen who schemes for a secret sleepover with friends. She tells Mom she's with Dad, tells Dad she's with Mom, and sneaks off to her grandparents' empty apartment to meet up with her two best friends. But neither friend can make it, so Maddie ends up all alone for the night. She wakes in the morning to find herself utterly alone. In the night, her town was mysteriously evacuated and she was left behind. After all, Mom thought she was with Dad and Dad thought she was with Mom... What follows is a spare but powerful story of Maddie's survival against all odds. There's no power, no internet, no phone, and no one around. She has only her neighbor's left-behind Rottweiler and her wits to get her through months that threaten to turn into years.

I tried to think of something more well put-together, but I think I'll just copy in my raw reaction that says it all, which I sent immediately to the author late at night:

WOW. I just finished ALONE and.... WOW. I am tingling and flush with the experience. It wasn’t just a book, it was an experience. A unique experience like nothing I’ve read before and I loved it. I’ll formulate my thoughts and post a review later, but I just wanted to say Thank You for sharing this with me!! Wow!!

This book is everything you want it to be, beautiful prose, a challenging and emotionally resonant story that should appeal to both children and adults. The prose in verse will have young readers eager to re-read this wonderful novel again and again. I cannot wait for more books from this authors. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this early copy.

Alone by Megan Freeman is a novel in verse about a girl who finds herself alone in her city after everyone else has been evacuated. Maddie needs to survive both physically and mentally the demands placed upon her. The novel will make you think and cheer for our protagonist.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. One of the most thought provoking books I’ve read all year. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my middle school students.

WARNING: If you are sensitive to animal cruelty or animal death, you will want to read with caution. There are several scenes, especially the one with looters, that may bother you. I do believe these scenes are necessary to show the mind set of the main character and why she made certain decisions.

I have been looking for an exciting novel in verse to read aloud with my students. This will be a perfect fit for our classroom.

Oh I really liked this one. A LOT. I could not put it down. The verse format made it easy to read and understand. I loved Maddie's story of survival. This would be a strong fit for those who loved Hatchet, the I Survived Series, and the Island of the Blue Dolphins, and for reluctant readers. I loved all the love for libraries/books/librarians! The reason this isn't a complete 5 stars was I would have loved to know why the evacuation happened, what the world was like before (we got some vague hints), and a bit more at the end... However this will not stop me from recommending this book to readers.

This was a book I could not stop reading until I was finished. I loved the way it was written in like poetry stanzas . It made the story a better read the way it was wrote. I loved the way the story had the girl survive through so much stuff alone and for the long period of time she had to be alone beside having the next door neighbors dog. She was a very strong character in the story. It showed that she never gave up. She was able to prepare for winter and blackouts and for strangers that were looters coming in to the town. I love how the story ended I dont want to put spoilers. I do wish we would have found out why the people had to leave the way they did. You dont find out why everyone was ordered to leave. Overall this was a really good book to read.