“It’s an amazing book, and one I hope there’s a sequel to, because I’d really like to see how the kids back on the island are and what happens post-medicine.”

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Although the majority of characters featured aren’t much older than thirteen, I would say that Night of the Purple Moon is written with an older audience in mind and contains some scenes that would perhaps be unsettling for younger readers; 13-15 year olds will keenly remember or be experiencing the turmoil of puberty and Scott Cramer’s book will resonate strongly for them.

Well paced and gripping, I enjoyed reading and think that Night of the Purple Moon would be a good choice for fans of Michael Grant’s Gone series or anyone looking for another dystopic fix after The Hunger Games.

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Outrageous and completely ‘out of the box.’

You’d think there’d be no more surprises two years of reviewing and learning the many styles of writing, but there are. And everyday that I’m reading I notice that not only are the styles different, but they seem to evolve from each other. Cramer has a very simple writing style, but there are those very quotable moments where you have to stop and really take a look at the sentence—it takes you by surprise and makes you look at something or someone in a different light. The excitement of his imagery really had me on the brink of my seat, the plot and the story itself was just genius. After all, who doesn’t love a good ‘race-against-time-while-trying-not-to-get-yourself-killed’ novel?

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“I was greatly impressed with how palpable every emotion is in this book and how real this world feels. I felt every heart-wrenching, painful, scary moment as if I too were experiencing them. The isolation Cramer creates with his characters’ physical location (an island accessible by boat only) works so well as a storytelling tool, creating an enthralling and tangible fear in readers.”

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From Jenny Bird–who has lived in Cambridge MA and an island off the coast of Maine. Could there be a better reviewer?

Jenny’s picks for who to play Abby and Jordan: Chloe Moretz and Asa Butterfield

“Cramer’s writing style is concise and fast-moving, with an almost rat-a-tat cadence: something happens, they deal, and then move on, without giving the characters or readers much time to reflect before the next big issue arises.  As an adult reader who loves apocalypse books, I enjoyed his no-nonsense approach, and feel that it will especially appeal to younger readers.  It’s a YA novel that a lot of middle-graders could sink their teeth into.”

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Question: Due to the nature of the main characters in the book I have to ask first…..Do you have any children?

Answer: Yes, I have two daughters. One just graduated from college and the other one is about to attend college. Day in and day out, I am amazed by their intelligence, grace, toughness, balance, senses of humor…I could go on and on. My wife, too, is way smarter than I am. So I am totally surrounded and outgunned. It was not a stretch for me to develop two characters, Abby and Emily (not perfect, by any means) who are resourceful, strong-willed and who do their best to face the biggest of challenges with courage.

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“After the germs take over, there isn’t an adult left alive on Earth – and there isn’t a child who doesn’t learn, overnight, what a wild world it is. Cramer’s take on the if-children-ruled-the-world genre is a very unique one, and quite well crafted. The construct of the purple moon and germs from space that attach (attack?) hormones is clever and intriguing. The aftermath of the removal of all adults from the world isn’t quite Lord of the Flies-ish-ness (or, maybe it’s better to say it isn’t all LotF-ish-ness) and it offers a view of children and the world that is much more optimistic than current news headlines suggests – which was refreshing.”

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Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer – I think I’d have offered long odds against a self-published author ever making my top 3 of the month, but Scott Cramer’s incredibly tense account of a world after space dust kills off everyone past puberty, leaving the children to form a new society, deserves its place. Really strong characters and a great plot make this one which I’d highly recommend. Scott was kind enough to give me a great interview, as well!

See Jim’s other notable selections

Amanda at the book review blog, Letters Inside Out, invited me to opine on the similarities between catching waves and writing sentences.

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That is NOT my local break or me on the right.