As someone who devoured Alone in a single sitting, I was thrilled to learn that Megan Freeman was coming out with a companion novel from the POV of kids in one of the evacuation camps. And I was not disappointed.

Told in alternating POV, each written in a different style to best fit the character themselves, Away is slightly less gripping and stressful than Alone but equally enjoyable. My favorite part of the entire thing was actually the writing style because I felt the differing forms of prose really added to each character and the way you got to know them.

Both Alone and Away have firmly found themselves in my frequent recommendations cycle, and I cannot wait to see if we see more middle grade from Megan, because I want to read it all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Childrens for the eARC!

Freeman's follow up to her book Alone is truly more of a companion novel set in the same timeline but different setting. If you picked up Away expecting to learn more about Maddie or her parents experience when they discover her missing you might be disappointed. She is featured in just a few small references at the beginning and end of this novel in verse. Instead, we explore another slice of this universe providing a larger picture of what and why. In Away, we follow several students: Grandin, a farm boy whose dad slips away back to the ranch as the last second; Teddy, an amateur filmmaker who lives with his diabetic grandma; Harmony, an aspiring journalist who documents her experience in unsent letters to her Aunt Beckie and is tasked with regularly watching her younger sister Pax; Ashanti, one of Maddie's friends who was supposed to stay the night but ends up sick and evacuates with her parents, one of whom is a doctor.

When the story begins none of this crew knows one another but they are thrust into a relocation center that shelters them for more than two years and in that time they grow to be friends as well as grow increasingly suspicious about the circumstances that have led them there and the reality they might find when they are finally allowed to leave.

The story is written in verse but also alternates with letters to Aunt Beckie, radio reports, news articles written by Harmony, movie script, Incident Command Media Advisories, film production diaries, and later the Camp Rogers Gazette (publication produced by the kids).

Much like Alone, Freeman's first novel set in these troubling times in Colorado, the story is divided into 13 subsections that chronicle the movement through this experience: Build Up, Evacuation, Shelter, Acclimation, Stopgap, etc. I liked that as it made it clearer as the characters moved from one phase to another.

While I enjoyed this book, I felt that both books required some suspended disbelief to think this could be happening in Colorado and the rest of the country might be continuing like normal. It seemed too much to expect that it could have carried on as long as it did before the outside world got involved. Perhaps it was parts of Colorado and not the entire state therefore the Denver airport was running as usual drawing less national attention. Regardless, it was chilling how little push back there seemed to be among the adults and a willingness to accept all that was happening without much question. Perhaps this is a good book for our current political times to encourage critical thinking and stress the importance of communication and the power of the media to uncover hidden agendas.

The companion novel that I didn’t know Alone needed. From the perspective of 4 very different kids who were not left behind, but made to participate in the large scale evacuation of Colorado. They all quickly become weary of their new forced reality and begin to seek the truth that they suspect is being hidden.

I love that I could anticipate parts of this book from reading Alone, but how the story unfolded was a treat of twists and turns and creative problem solving that had me impressed by the characters and thus also by the writing. The multiple POVs and their very different voices (literally if you listen to the full cast audio!) lended itself to telling such a well rounded story that flowed quickly and swept me along on a happy ride from beginning to end.

Content Note: Animal Death, injury, violence, grief, child of divorce

Thanks to Simon Audio and Simon Teen for a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed and could not put down Alone by Megan E. Freeman. Away is the companion story to Alone and I could not wait to find out more about what happened to these characters during this emergency evacuation. This companion story follows the lives of friends who were on the other side of the evacuation compared to Maddie in Alone, I think this story would be great for middle grade readers and I enjoyed the different elements seen throughout this story. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC of Away by Megan E. Freeman.

I was so excited to see Megan E. Freeman come out with a companion book to Alone. This book was so so good! It is great for the struggling readers because the writing varies throughout the book. It's written in verse with letters, news articles and movie scripts spliced in. Highly recommend!!

Absolutely stunning! I was wondering how anything could "follow-up" to Alone and this was actually the perfect book for it! I loved the different perspectives and the integrity and grit of the young characters. I mean, we also got to see their vulnerabilities and I think that's equally as important for young readers to see. The quote that will stay with me FOREVER is... "Anyone who says art can't change the world never studied history"

This book was rather terrifying in a "this could possibly happen" kind of way. I really enjoyed book one "Alone" and it was interesting to see things from other view points. There were a lot of characters to follow, it helped that they were all written very differently which made them easier to discern. It was fun to see the thought that went into this sequel and while not quite as good as the first it was thoroughly enjoyable.

A great stand alone book or could be read before or after “Alone” by the same author. It’s a page-turner, and suspenseful. Freeman’s writing really makes the reader care about the characters and subject matter. Although written for middle school in mind it would also be enjoyed by older teens and adults. .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a preview digital ARC of the book! My granddaughter loved Alone and hopefully will want to read Away, also.

This is a companion book to Megan E. Freeman's earlier book - Alone. It follows the same scenario - families from adjacent areas - all along a river - are forced to evacuate in the middle of the night. In Alone, Maddie is left behind and has to figure out some way to survive when her family does not come back. But in Away, we join the families that have been evacuated. One of the girls telling the story is one of the friends Maddie was supposed to meet up with at her secret sleepover on the night the surprise evacuation happened and Maddie was left. The other kids are transported to an evacuation area and monitored for "contamination". The government is telling the families that their homes and towns have been contaminated by something unknown but deadly. The families have to make the best of it; they assume they will be able to return to their homes in a timely fashion. But the months drag by. There is no communication with the outside world. They know that there are several evacuation camps scattered across the area - but no one really knows what is going on beyond the well-guarded gates of their camp.
A group of kids that end up at the same evacuation camp come together and decide they are going to publish a newspaper and create a documentary to record what is going on for posterity. Plus it gives them something to do! Each kid has their own backstory and baggage to deal with during the book. And each has a special talent to offer to unravel the mystery.
"Away" fills in the parallel story to Maddie's experience in "Alone". While she is fighting to survive all alone, the kids at the camp are fighting to survive their evacuation. There is a Wizard of Oz theme running throughout the book. They all just want to go home. But to do that, they have to reveal the Wizard hiding behind the curtain of lies. It slowly becomes evident to Teddy (our filmmaker) that they are being duped. The videos released by the government to show the "devastation of the contamination" to their homes and towns is clearly CGI. (These aren't spoilers if you have read Alone...) Once Teddy convinces the others, the team has to create a plan to uncover who is behind the deception and why. It takes a lot of bravery and quite a bit of luck for them to figure out how to do that.

It was a good read thought a bit frightening to think that all of these people were kept in containment camps for so long. I wonder if Freeman will write a third to talk about the reunion and resettling.

Megan Freeman did a great job creating a companion book for Alone. This book answers all the questions we may have had in the first book regarding where everyone else was. It also has a great group of young characters to follow while they try to solve the mystery of why they were evacuating towns. Love the way Megan writes in verse also.

What an amazing follow-up for fans of Alone! It was so great to find out the other side of the story and what was happening with her friends! Love, Love, Love!!

This was exactly what I was looking for after reading Alone! Away was a perfectly written read about the circumstances behind the plot points of Alone, and we get to meet other strong and intelligent characters who are fighting to do what's right. I loved the variety of different styles of writing depending on which kid was telling their side of the story, and there was a huge ah-ha moment that really made me think about current events in our society as well. Bravo, Megan E. Freeman, and thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC! I know my students are so excited to read this!

If you were left wanting more after Megan Freeman's Alone, this book helps answers questions from that book. What could cause Colorado residents to evacuate? Teenagers in the evacuation camp start questioning why they are there. The suspension of disbelief for this fiction book was quite large. Away is a good story but a little too farfetched.

Book Review: Away by Megan E. Freeman

Megan E. Freeman’s Away is a gripping verse novel that explores themes of survival, resilience, and self-discovery. Following the success of Alone, Freeman once again crafts a compelling story that draws readers into the emotional and physical journey of a young protagonist facing overwhelming challenges.

Freeman’s writing style is sparse yet powerful, using free verse to convey raw emotion and vivid imagery. This format allows readers to deeply connect with the protagonist’s loneliness, determination, and moments of triumph. Fans of survival stories like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen or The Wild Robot by Peter Brown will appreciate the mix of suspense and emotional depth in Away.

Overall, Away is a beautifully written novel that will resonate with young readers and adults alike. It is a testament to the power of perseverance and the human spirit, making it a must-read for those who enjoy poetic storytelling with a strong emotional core.

Away hooked me right away. This is what I’ve been wanting since I finished Alone. The characters were incredibly authentic each taking on their own narration style. Students will enjoy getting multiple POV and the background to the fan fave Alone.

I was deeply invested in Maddie after reading Alone. I also had many, many questions about her experience and her story.
I was so grateful to have another chance to get some answers and to get other perspectives of the event. Yet. I still have many, many questions - I am very hopeful that this will be a trilogy!

A solid sequel to Alone. This book follows the lives of 4 middle school students who are sent to relocation camps in the aftermath of the great evacuation. Readers get to watch the kids adapt to life in the camp and then begin asking pointed questions:
"What is going on?"
"Are they getting the whole story?"
"Who is lying about the contamination?"
Following these junior journalists is a fun ride.

My students and I are obsessed with Alone by Megan Freeman and we were all ecstatic to know we would be able to visit this world again in Away. Though I did think there was a lot going on with alternating perspectives as well as alternating writing formats, in the end it all came together well! The characters are lovable and the story line feels relatable, like a good (scary) speculative fiction story should. I loved how the characters came from different walks of life and came together to solve a great mystery! Thanks to NetGalley for the early digital copy! My students can’t wait to read this when it comes out!

This was a fantastic thought-provoking read! I appreciated that it bounced between a novel in verse, articles, and a film script. It made the story exciting and interesting. The content was timely and definitely makes you think. I appreciated that there was a companion novel to Alone and can't wait to share it with my students!

Fear, uncertainty, and friendship come through loud and clear on every page.

Four kids enjoy their normal lives unaware that everything is about to be turned upside-down. When agents appear at their doors and evacuate everyone to camps, angst is high. Thanks to toxins, the world is dying around them...or so they are told. They are shipped around and moved from camp to camp until they finally all come together. The four become friends and realize that there's more to what's happening than anyone is telling them. And it isn't good.

This book is written from the four characters' points of view: two in verse, one in script form (to match the movie desires), and one in letters and news reports. The voices are very distinct, which makes it easy to keep them apart and enjoy each personality, since each character gets a chance to hit the reader on a more personal level. While a little confusing, at first, they pacing soon settles into a grabbing rhythm and pulls into the world and circumstances.

The camp isn't instantly there, and the social life develops over time. This gives it a more believable flow and allows things to gain depth and sink in. The tensions are understandable and keep the pages turning as the mystery and danger grow. It's easy to root for the characters as they come together and take on the 'evil', and there's enough realistic aspects to keep it grounded...and make the characters easier to fever for. Several logic holes still sneak in, but nothing which breaks the tension.

Dystopian and adventure fans will enjoy the conspiracy, dangers, and inspiring friendship bonds.