Elemental (review)

When a violent storm threatens the tiny colony on Hatteras Island, sixteen-year-old Thomas and the community's other children are forced to evacuate and leave their parents behind. As the only person born without a power to control the elements, Thomas has always felt like an outsider and a burden to his community, so he makes it his duty to protect the others until the adults arrive. When the elders fail to appear after the danger passes, Thomas and the others make their way back to the colony, only to find their families missing, their homes destroyed, and their lives threatened by invading pirates. Unable to flee onto the mainland for fear of the plague that has made it inhabitable, the children take shelter in the ruins of an abandoned settlement on nearby Roanoke Island. As they search for food and supplies and craft a plan to save their families, they uncover a web of lies that undermines their faith in the adults who lead them and forces them to question everything they've been taught about their colony, their past, and themselves. A gripping science fiction survival story with layers of both historical and futurist details, this novel provides action as well as world-building. While the plot and intrigue are its primary draw, the emotional interplay between characters, reminiscent of John's earlier realistic novels (Five Flavors of Dumb, BCCB 1/11; Thou Shalt Not Roadtrip, BCCB 4/12), has equal resonance. The pirates are a believable threat, more in accordance with vicious historical realities than the comedic bad boys of contemporary popular imagination. While a few questions are left unresolved, the novel's captivating storyline, rapid pace, and cliffhanger ending are sure to leave fans of novels like Grant's Gone series (Gone, BCCB 6/08) absorbed with the action and anxious for a sequel.