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Summary
Summary
What would you do if every spark of electricity suddenly vanished, as if somebody had flipped a switch on the entire planet? Cars won't start, the heat shuts off, there's no water in your faucet, and your radio, TV, and flashlight go dark. Everyone in Charlie's small town is baffled.
But as time passes, lawlessness erupts and takes an ugly turn. When the market and pharmacy are torched by an anti-Semitic arsonist, Charlie realizes his mother will die without her medicine. So he dons skis and heads off alone, seeking the nearest hospital. After traveling 50 miles through brutal ice and snow, Charlie encounters a burned-out, looted city of terrified citizens. Will he be able to save his mom?
Heroic, eloquent, and unforgettable, The Big Dark raises timely questions about responsibility, tolerance, and love.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Citizens of the remote hamlet of Harmony, NH, gather on a frigid New Year's Eve to watch the northern lights. During the spectacular show, all power goes out. Not just electricity, but internal combustion engines and carbon-zinc, alkaline, and lithium batteries-no generators, no flashlights, no cell phones, no cars, nothing. The local science teacher explains that a solar flare is to blame (NASA says it's not impossible). Harmony tries to organize under the questionable leadership of its one police officer, until the patriarch of a survivalist clan begins wreaking havoc on the town. When it becomes clear that his mother is about to run out of medicine, Charlie sets off on a 50-mile ski trip on which he confronts wild animals and almost as wild humans. Despite some scary and suspenseful situations, generosity and purity of spirit do prevail. Michael Crouch adeptly paces the fast-moving story and varies voices among the characters. VERDICT The all-too-real topic and relatable protagonist make for an engaging adventure tale. ["Though the themes of racism, hate, and the danger of fear are desperately needed in conversations with the intended age group, this novel only scratches the surface": SLJ 11/15 review of the Scholastic book.]-Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When all electronics turn off unexpectedly in the dead of winter, Charlie finds life becoming quite different and challenging in his rural New Hampshire town. Society does not break down entirely, but new struggles emerge, including Charlie's search for medicine for his diabetic mother and his encounters with a group of militant extremists aiming to take control of the town and its resources. Reader Crouch has a youthful voice with a light rasp that works really well with Charlie's voice and inner monologue in this first-person narrative. He captures Charlie's excitement, fear, and teenage ambivalence quite well. Crouch's character voices do not always hit the mark, however; many are a bit more caricatured than seems fitting. Ages 8-12. A Scholastic/Blue Sky hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When a solar event knocks out all electrical devices worldwide, Charlie Cobb's small New Hampshire hometown faces disaster. Cut off from the outside world, supplies are low, winter is upon them, and the local authoritarian gun-nut believes that survival of the fittest should rule the day. Crouch's boyish reading voice is a good match for Charlie's first-person perspective; its innate quaver adds urgency to this tale of catastrophic collapse. His uneven attempt at a New Hampshire accent is forgivable, especially considering the smart pacing and natural-sounding dialogue, with pitch and hoarseness varied to indicate different speakers. Listeners will feel transported to a snowy northern landscape as the combination of Philbrick's evocative writing and Crouch's accomplished narration sweep them up in the danger and excitement of a climax few will see coming. anita l. burkam (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When a solar flare knocks out all technology, residents of an isolated New Hampshire town must figure out how to survive. Unless neighbors share their precious resources, many will not make it through the brutal winter. Unfortunately a violent faction of racists has other plans. Determined to take control of the town, they burn down the local supermarket, robbing the residents of food and medication. Charlie Cobb's mother, a Type 2 diabetic, will not survive without her medication. To save her, Charlie must risk exposure, wild animals, and desperate people to ski the 50 miles to the closest hospital. The science behind the apocalyptic event is suspiciously vague, but the realistic portrayal of the human capacity for both good and evil is well-written: some resort to hoarding and violence in the face of the global catastrophe, but others choose an enlightened path and elect to care for one another. A slow beginning pays off during Charlie's desperate journey, and the depiction of a world gone suddenly dark is both terrifying and completely possible. Philbrick's overarching message is clear. While ruthless villains might be living next door, so might a school janitor-turned-selfless leader and a boy-turned-hero. Readers who get past the sketchy science will find a riveting, credible, and even inspiring vision of life just after the apocalypse. (Science fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The sky brightened with a brief but intense flare of light, and immediately everything in the world changed. All electrical charges went dead, and the rhythms of Charlie's life in his hometown of Harmony, New Hampshire, are immediately replaced by a terrifying new normal. Mr. Kingman, the school janitor and town's sole volunteer police officer, is forced to confront one of the town's fringe residents, Mr. Bragg, an antigovernment extremist whose self-interest policies lead to growing violence. When Charlie discovers that his diabetic mother has just 19 days of medicine remaining, he leaves the relative safety of Harmony to walk 50 miles to the hospital in Concord. Philbrick is in his element with this kid-oriented view of global catastrophe. Charlie's world is brimming with danger, yet he single-mindedly accepts his mission to save his mother, since, for him, the threat of wild animals is overshadowed by the menace of frightened human beings. With a fast pace, pulse-pounding premise, and approachable first-person narration, this would be a great pick for reluctant readers.--Colson, Diane Copyright 2015 Booklist