I absolutely loved Megan Freeman's Alone, and its companion novel, Away, was just as amazing. I was captivated by the backstories of each child and how their stories intertwined. I especially appreciated the references and tie-ins to Alone.

Megan excels at storytelling with few but impactful words. This novel stood out for its unique cinematic perspectives and the incorporation of journalism elements. It’s truly a love letter to a free press, and I thought it was brilliant.

A great companion to Alone. Away can be read on its own.
Away gives us an understanding of where everyone went.

A great read of a conspiracy that relocated millions of people in Colorado. The suspense of the unknown tragedy making places to live uninhabitable. 4 kids come together at the compound to help keep each other company and then they start to learn information that question the relocation.

Away follows another of Freeman’s dystopian novels entitled Alone, but not a true sequel.
Away is set in Colorado and things are not going well. It's hot, really hot, and wildfires threaten. Meet these four kids with different interests: Ashantae Johnson likes mythology.. Her mother is a doctor. Grandin Stone lives on a farm and helps his parents with the livestock. Teddy Brenkert lives with his grandmother, and the two share a love of old movies and theater. Harmony Adams-Paul wants to be a journalist. For practice and advice, she writes letters to her Aunt Beckie, who is a journalist and is researching muckrakers and writing essays about them. Aunt Beckie is also a news reporter.
One day, out of the blue, evacuation orders are issued. The four teens find themselves with very few possessions, while being herded into camps and made to give up their cell phones. Grandin's father is unwilling to give up his phone, and leaves the camp.
Finally it’s revealed, the “official” reason for the relocation seems that there has been a toxic substance released that has rendered certain areas unlivable. A video shared with the residents shows a world that is slowly drying up and falling apart. The four teens astutely notice that all of the land the government wants to buy back is along the river, leading them to suspect that something fishy is going on.
After several years of this, people are fed up being stuck in camps. It’s time the the truth comes out so that they can move on with their lives?

If you enjoy dystopian fiction give it a try. I personally didn’t find this one very engaging or believable. How would it be even possible for Colorado to be completely shut off from the rest of the world with or without cell phones?
The format was interesting.

I was super excited to see the sequel to Alone! And even more thrilled to have the opportunity to read it! This book is constantly checked out from my library, and I am always recommending it, so I was thrilled to see the sequel and it did not disappoint! I know that my students will be as thrilled as I was and we love it just as much as they loved Alone.

Summary:
This sequel to Alone brings more explanation to Freeman’s dystopian world where cities across Colorado evacuation from an impending threat. Alone follows Maddie who has been mistakenly left behind after evacuations. Away follows a cast of four middle school age children who have been moved with their families to the same evacuation camp. Each teen brings their own perspective: an aspiring journalist, filmmaker, doctor, and rancher. What begins as a project to create a documentary of the camp turns into the group questioning how authentic the threat really is.

Review:
I loved revisiting the world Freeman created. I feel like there was more world building and explaining in this book, so it felt more like a true dystopian story. I also liked that the format includes movie script and feature article formatting in addition to the novel in verse formatting. Everything felt very clever and intentional. Much like the first book, though, there’s a lot of implausible plot points and the ending doesn’t feel fully resolved. This is the kind of book that students will devour. I know several students who are eagerly awaiting the release of this one!

Absolutely LOVED seeing the other side of the story from Alone. This was an interesting approach being from the viewpoint of multiple characters and while it started off a bit slow, I got wrapped up in their stories and could not stop turning the pages. The outcome was definitely not what I was expecting but it was nice to get some closure.

I was so excited to see this book coming out, and it did not disappoint. I co-lead a Mock Newberry Book Club for 4th graders at our school, and Alone was the winner a few years ago. This companion novel to Alone is a quick, suspenseful read that enhances the story and world of Alone. While I would recommend reading them in publishing order to keep the surprise reveal of Alone, they definitely can be read in either order. I loved the different formats each of the four narrators use to tell their story, and the friendship they develop.

I absolutely LOVED this book! This is a companion novel to 'Alone', and when I heard there was going to be another one, I had to read it immediately. This book is from the perspective of a group of kids who are evacuated and live in a relocation camp. The kids start to question the information they are being told about why they were evacuated. They start quietly investigating and stumble upon something bigger than they could even imagine.

"Away" is an excellent companion to the first book in the series, "Alone". This book runs concurrent with the first one, except you are following kids who have made it into the relocated areas after an imminent threat is announced and Coloroda is unexpectedly evacuated. The kids lose internet service, family members, and life as they know it. My favorite quote in the book talks about how adults often underestimate kids, which resonates throughout this novel as they work together to try and figure out what is happening.

I was so excited to see a sequel for one of my most recommended middle grade books! However, the narration was immediately confusing to me. Some characters were similar from Alone, but they weren’t the main focus. I was a bit bummed. Then you have new characters and different forms of narration (scripts, video footage, etc.) eventually I caught on, but took awhile so I can imagine my sixth graders will struggle a bit. The storyline captured my attention, but in the end it was so far fetched and ended way too soon after the truth was revealed. The ending mentioned Maddie from book 1, but barely and just that she was still missing. I was hoping for more about her story and what happened to her. Overall, not a bad story, but not what I expected from a sequel.

Away is an inspirational story of not letting your age stop you from searching and shouting the truth. “The absence of truth means the presence of suffering.” In a world of fake news and technology that can be used to deceive, Freeman has crafted a terrifying relatable story where political greed and conspiracy can change lives. In the middle of the night, Coloradans are suddenly evacuated from their homes and their lives, moved into camps and told virtually nothing. Their phones are taken away and they are left in the dark. A group of kids are documenting the story with a camera and their words. But not everything is as it seems. Why were they forced from their homes? A unique read with formats from narrative, verse, script, storyboard, and letter, the readers get a diverse look at a mysterious situation. Freeman also incorporates clever parallels to greek mythology, literature, and movies. Freeman writes from children’s perspective in a way that feels authentic and relatable. This science fiction read hits close to home in a world where young people have grown up surrounded by smart technologies and a war on false information. With beautiful themes for young people, reminding them to never let their age stand in the way of sharing truth—our brave main characters use their artistic abilities to uncover the truth and share it with the world.

“Anyone who says art can’t change the world never studied history.”

Absolutely thrilled to have spent time with this brilliant companion to one of my favorite middle-grade novels in verse. Completely stand-alone and gripping from the first page, it’s the kind of book that hooks you immediately and doesn’t let go. Perfect for near-dystopian book clubs or as a mentor text for mixed narrative writing styles, it offers so much to readers and educators alike.

The expert storytelling is like watching a great movie—just when you think you know what kind of book you’re reading, it pulls you deeper and deeper until you’re holding your breath, desperate to know what happens next. I loved every moment and cannot wait for its release in February. A must-read and a must-order!

Accessed through NetGalley for free; all opinions are my own.

Great companion book to Alone - one of THE most popular novels in verse in our middle school library. Loved the section intros and characters were really interesting. Highly recommend!

“Away” is a well-written story with good pacing and tension in all the right places. The variety of writing styles that Freeman uses, as well as the multiple perspectives, creates an engaging tale and sequel to “Alone.”

“Away” and “Alone” would make an excellent pairing in a book club, being read and discussed simultaneously by the readers. By reading together, the questions and gaps could be discussed and compared. “Away” could also be used as a stand-alone. The character study is appropriate for middle grade readers, as are the development of current issues including climate change and the significance of water and control of waterways.

Highly recommend this fast-paced, captivating tale!

This book is written in a mixture of verse, film script, news headlines, and letters, and, honestly, it felt too jagged to me and didn't seem to flow smooth enough. The story itself was interesting. Completely different than the first book in the series, "Alone" (which I loved). Overall though, any kid who read and loved "Alone" will probably enjoy this one as well; it answers some big questions that we're left with at the end of Maddie's story.

My students that read Alone enjoyed it very much and for my older readers, this is a great peek into the other side of the story. I’m not sure that it will appeal to my younger middle graders as much though. The storyline of Away requires a more mature understanding of society and obscure movie references.
While I enjoyed the different voices of the four main characters and how their narratives were presented, I wish the author had spent just a bit more time on the development of each character as the story began.
I did continue thinking about Away even when I had to put the book down to take part in real life though, so…

I loved the author’s first book, and was thrilled to read an advance copy of this one. It does not disappoint. In fact, it’s an ideal book for 6-9th graders. Especially those who have a passion for journalism, filmmaking, changing the world, or puppies that smell like popcorn. I thoroughly enjoyed reading something where teens have good friendships and try to make the best of a terrible situation, even when the truth is hard to find. Also, there’s a nice balance of male and female characters and plenty of connections to curriculum. Definitely a good addition to book talks and lit circles. And, it’s a multi-format read: prose, poetry, script, news articles. Excellent!

I was so glad to read this companion to Alone. I enjoyed Alone, and the survival aspect of the story, but I was so curious about what caused the disappearance of everyone else for so long. Away answers all of those questions. The story of the evacuation is told from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to get a full picture of what was happening. Although the survival theme in Away is different from that of Alone, there is still surviving happening. The young people are trying to figure out what is happening, and they resist the complacency they see within the adults. Anyone who read and enjoyed Alone NEEDS to read Away - it tells the rest of the story!

This was a wonderful sequel to Alone. I really appreciated the different perspectives of the characters, the different types of text on the page, etc. I also appreciated that as the story continued on, characters' names started to fade in being explicitly stated, and instead characters were represented by their tone and style of text.

Away explores the why of its predecessor in a both realistic and engaging way. The multiple characters and diverse layout out storytelling make this a compelling story from start to finish. The question on everyone mind when Alone was finished was why did this happen and now we know. It's a story of friendship, disaster and society that could open up great conversation for all.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC for review. All opinions are my own.