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    Alone
    Alone
    Alone
    Ebook396 pages2 hours

    Alone

    By Megan E. Freeman

    4/5

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    • Survival

    • Family

    • Nature

    • Fear

    • Exploration

    • Post-Apocalyptic Survival

    • Coming of Age

    • Man's Best Friend

    • Man Vs. Nature

    • Alone in the Wilderness

    • Fish Out of Water

    • Alone in the World

    • Absent Parent

    • Parental Love

    • Post-Apocalyptic

    • Friendship

    • Danger

    • Post-Apocalyptic World

    • Home

    • Winter

    About this ebook

    A New York Times bestseller!

    Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.

    When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

    With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

    As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAladdin
    Release dateJan 12, 2021
    ISBN9781534467583
    Author

    Megan E. Freeman

    Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week, and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan taught multiple subjects across the arts and humanities to students of all ages. She lives near Boulder, Colorado. Visit her online at MeganEFreeman.com.

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    Reviews for Alone

    4/5

    96 ratings16 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a good and cute read, with a well-written plot and an ability to get into the characters' heads. However, some readers found it unrealistic and felt that it left too many unanswered questions. The book had a fast pace but also had dull moments. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy quick reads, but others may want to find a better book.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5

      Feb 8, 2025

      I like the main character, but I didn't like the dogs attacking her. One of my favorite parts was the tornado. I liked how the main character is brave.
    • 5/5

      Feb 26, 2023

      This book was amazing! I loved the way it was written and the plot of the story. It got into the characters head so well! Would recommend this for sure
    • 4/5

      May 26, 2021

      Really great read and very fast. I was shocked at the ending but it was inevitable. I wish we could have seen her through someone else’s eyes after she’d been alone for so long.

      Felt a little rushed towards the end-like I’m done writing this book, let me finish it up. But it was good and cute.
    • 4/5

      Apr 29, 2022

      12 year-old Maddie is planning a sneak sleepover with her 2 best friends unbeknownst to her divorced parents. However, her friends cancel out and she spends the night alone, enjoying the break from family life. When she awakens, the whole town has been evacuated ahead of "an imminent threat" and she can't reach her parents or anyone. She combs the town day after day, looking for food and supplies, and finds her neighbor's dog George who she keeps with her for company. As time passes, she comes across looters who are too dangerous to trust, so her nerves are on edge as she stays in hiding while at the same time, craves human companionship. She must find a way to stay safe from wild dogs, survive the winter cold in Colorado, and not lose her sanity. This is an excellent urban survival story for grades 5-8, even though the wrap-up is a little weak.
    • 5/5

      Feb 5, 2024

      i felt the emotions through the screen. i almost cried at the end because it was such a happy ending. i love the way the words are written like journal entries and the way they can put you to the edge of your seat. finished this in about less than a week because it was such and amazing book that made me wanna read more. i’d highly recommend!
    • 2/5

      Aug 31, 2022

      It was ok- I think the author had a good idea but it wasn’t very realistic. The book left you with a lot of questions at the end as well. The book was fast paced but it had its dull moments.I wouldn’t read this again. If your someone like me who doesn’t have a lot of time to read I suggest you skip this one. Find a better book like the hunger games.
    • 4/5

      Jan 20, 2023

      This was a quick read but I did enjoy it. This would be perfect for kids or teens who are into dystopian fiction like Ashfall and Not a Drop to Drink. I also liked this teen novel a lot because it was in verse and had a female protagonist. Alone is the story of a 12 year old girl who tricks her parents into thinking she is staying some place she isn't for a sleepover and as a result gets left behind in a massive evacuation. When she awakes the next day there is no one left in the town. She saves the neighbors dog and together they learn what it will take to survive in Colorado with no electricity or fresh food. She's hopeful that her family will come back for her once they realize she was gone - but no one is coming back. What imminent threat was there? A good survival story.
    • 5/5

      Jun 25, 2021

      Maddie is a typical teen living in Colorado. Maddie splits her time between her mom and step-dad’s house and her dad and step-mom’s house. She and two of her friends hatch a plan to spend a night at Maddie’s grandparents apartment alone. Maddie tells her mom she is staying with her dad and tells her dad she is staying with her mom to babysit. She goes to her grandma’s apartment and waits for her two friends to arrive. Unfortunately, their parents call her mom and are told she is at her dad’s so they can’t go anywhere. Then the unimaginable happens. Maddie hears sounds of panic outside of her grandma’s apartment. People are being rounded up. She hears the neighbor tell the person in charge that the owners are out of state. Maddy wakes the next morning to learn that everyone in her town has been evacuated due to an “imminent threat”. This begins Maddie’s journey to survive. She doesn’t know what the threat is. As she goes about town she finds a barrel with cell phones in it. She dials her mom’s number and hears a phone ring in one of the barrels, she tries her dad’s phone and her friends’ phones only to realize every one of them were left behind. This is a story of survival. It starts with Maddie talking to one of her step-brothers about the book “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. There are definite similarities between the book and Maddie’s new reality. I loved that this was told in verse which made it a very quick read. The emotional aspect as you go day by day and year by year on this ride with Maddie makes you wonder what you would do if you were left behind. Can’t wait to put this on my school shelves.
    • 4/5

      Jun 21, 2021

      Maddie is ALONE for years after her Colorado town is evacuated and she is left behind. The sparse poetry chronicle her efforts to survive, prepare, her resourcefulness, her loneliness, and the books & dog that keep her company. A quick read.
    • 4/5

      Sep 2, 2023

      Trigger Warnings: food and water scarcity, injury, animal death, mentions of dead animal bodies

      After plans fall through for her secret sleepover with her best friends, Maddie still stays over at her grandparents’ empty apartment - but she wakes to a nightmare. Maddie’s alone. Everyone in Millerville, Colorado has been evacuated and the town has been completely abandoned.

      With her only companion being a Rottweiler named George, Maddie slowly learns how to survive on her own with no power, no running water, no phone or internet access, and a town deserted. As months pass, Maddie and George survive natural disasters, ruthless looters, wild animals, and the elements of nature with stride. It’s the loneliness that is slowly getting to Maddie. Can her will to survive continue to get her through the most frightening experience of her life?

      I love novels in verse stories as well as post-apocalyptic novels, and this has been a story I’ve been wanting to read for the longest time and I finally picked it up at my library. I read all of this in one setting. It was that captivating. The language is gorgeous and the breaking up of the verses really showcase and capture Maddie’s loneliness, heartache, and still - hope.

      I also loved George and the companionship he provided for Maddie there were TWO TIMES I thought George had passed away and BOTH TIMES I was ready to throw the book across the room in sorrow. Plus, you need to have a furry sidekick during the apocalypse, and a big Rottweiler named George is one of the best.

      I can see audiences of middle grade readers and up enjoying this. Though, I will say there is a scene of animal cruelty specifically the death of a kitten that I do think should be taken into consideration for a younger reader. Otherwise, this was such a wonderful and captivating read (again, I read all 400+ pages in one setting). I am for sure keeping an eye out to purchase my own copy and will be giving this title out on plenty of recommendations.
    • 4/5

      Mar 26, 2021

      I liked Maddie and George the faithful rottweiler and there survival story. As a librarian, I loved Maddie's reliance on the library for knowledge, entertainment, and most of all, solace, from how to build a fire to Mary Oliver's poetry. As a naturalist, I loved the author's descriptions of the land, birds and wildlife, and her character finding strength and peace in it despite natural disasters. Though I understand that the story was about Maddie, I wish the author had given more of an explanation of the "imminent threat." Overall, a fast-paced, thoughtful, adventurous read.
    • 3/5

      Jun 22, 2022

      Conflicted -- it was an easy read and an engaging one -- I wanted to know what would happen next and that tension never went away. So if you're in the mood for post apocalyptic survival, it's not too bad.

      On the other hand -- very little actually happened, aside from a girl looting a city to stay alive and hanging out with her dog. She doesn't even try gardening until the very end. It did feel extremely realistic, just oddly anticlimactic. Hatchet is a much better read for the genre.

      Also the ending really is anticlimactic, but that felt realistic, too.
    • 4/5

      Mar 6, 2022

      I enjoyed this novel. It had more emotion that I was expecting and following Maddie's story of survival was inspirational. Written in verse, the author captured Maddie's loneliness, confusion, desperation and heartache.

      I really liked Maddie and her faithful, four-legged companion, George. "Alone" was a quick, provocative read that kept me on the edge of my seat and I will be recommending it to our younger readers looking for an exciting read.
    • 4/5

      Dec 22, 2021

      Alone is a 2022 Lone Star selection.

      Maddie devises a plan for her and her friends to spend the night in her empty grandparents' apartment, eating and watching TV without parents. It's a twelve year old's dream. Maddie's parents are divorced, so she tells each that she's at the other parent's house. Her two friends say they're sleeping at each others' houses. First problem--one friend gets sick, so the other friend can't get away because her parents won't let her stay with a sick friend. Maddie ends up alone. Eventually falling asleep, she wakes to a new world. Second problem is that her cell phone runs out of batter, so upon waking, Maddie plugs it in and discovers something terrible happened overnight. In less than twelve hours, the entire town was evacuated due to an "imminent threat." Maddie doesn't pay attention to the news, so she doesn't really understand what's happened. You do find out, kind of, what happened that necessitated everyone being evacuated. Maddie lives in Colorado--the entire state is evacuated. To evacuate this many people in less than twelve hours is rather unbelievable. I've never seen government operate this efficiently. She frantically rides her bike about and tries to call people, but absolutely no one answers the phone. She finds out why pretty quickly and has a third problem. Maddie is now truly alone.

      Maddie begins the story after being alone for three years and flashes back to tell about her time. Thankfully, she's in a city and there are no people with whom to share. She can go from grocery story to corner store to any store to get food and water as well as all the abandoned houses. Her only companion is the dog from next door. Being alone without anyone to talk to for a day is hard. Time wears on and the question becomes how does one mentally deal with being alone and not knowing what is going on in the world. One illness can mean death. One accident can mean a broken bone, which can be permanently disabling. Caution and bravery are necessary.

      I'm not a huge fan of people stranded somewhere alone. I never even wanted to see Cast Away even though people loved the movie. I don't care for books where people are held captive, so it's just their narrow existence. I don't know if I find it too disturbing and I say I'm bored or if I'm genuinely bored. I liked the length of this novel. I didn't get bored. I did listen to the novel, and I suspect it's a novel-in-verse. I could be wrong. Overall, I did enjoy it. I think it presents an interesting dilemma concerning what are our true needs. How courageous are we? I recommend this novel; I think most of you will really enjoy it.
    • 5/5

      May 30, 2021

      From Goodreads Employees summer '21 recommendations comes Alone by Megan E. Freeman. This book, meant for the YA crowd, was thoroughly enjoyed by this Baby Boomer who found it an edge of the seat sort of read.
      Maddie, 12 years old going on 13, plans a secret girls night out with her two best friends at her Grandma's unoccupied summer apartment. Surrounded by snacks and sodas and frozen pizzas she waits for her friends to arrive. As luck would have it, her friends can't make it so Maddie spends the night alone and wakes up to a national emergency. No cell service, can't reach parents, her divorced parents each think she's with the other......when in actuality she's.....alone.
      What you have here is a very dystopian world where everyone is gone and Maddie is forced to fend for herself, alone, for months with only George, her neighbor's Rottweiler for companionship.
      Great summer read that will keep you on the edge of your beach chair.
    • 5/5

      May 2, 2021

      This may be a middle grade novel, but the subject matter and the gorgeous prose can easily be enjoyed for older readers. This is a novel in verse, which can be decisive for many readers, but I found it took nothing from the story and actually read better than a regular chapter book. You are still able to plainly feel Maddie’s hope, pain and loneliness. You can also see the desolate town and the wilds of nature through Maddie’s eyes.
      This wasn’t always an easy book to read: for for example, reading about Maddie finding all of the pets left behind made me cry. Maddie faces wild animals and natural disasters, but nothing ever felt unrealistic like it has in other books. Maddie often finds out the hard way how to do something she has never done before, and she’s tenacious in her quest to expand her knowledge. It’s how I imagine I and others would fare in the same situation-I would just study as much as I could and use what I learned.
      This was a beautiful book and I can’t help but give it more praise. Its’s sad to see the lower star reviews on here and I hope those reviewers give it another chance.

    Book preview

    Alone - Megan E. Freeman

    Heaven

    (n.) bliss, ecstasy, paradise, dreamland

    Back When My Life Was Heaven and I Had No Idea

    Shoes off before you come in!

    Mom hollers as I open the kitchen door.

    I mopped today.

    She wipes orange slop off the baby’s face.

    "Honey, I know you have different rules

    at your dad’s, but could you try

    a little harder to make an effort

    when you’re at our house?"

    Sometimes

    the way my mom talks to me

    feels like a scratchy shirt tag

    on the back of my neck.

    I kick off my tattered silver Converse

    and calculate how much more

    I need to save before

    I can special-order a custom pair

    for my thirteenth birthday.

    Mom hugs me.

    "Sorry, sweetie.

    I’m just rushing to get ready to go.

    So glad you’re home."

    Hands me a mug filled with

    chopped carrots and celery.

    I bet you’re starving.

    I squeeze an empty Twinkie wrapper in my pocket.

    I’ll have to remember to throw it away later.

    Before middle school

    I was never even tempted to lie.

    Lately though

    it just seems to make things

    so much simpler.

    Mom

    Are you going out like that?

    I make my horror obvious.

    Mom has on the paisley embarrassments

    she calls her meditation pants.

    She always wears something mortifying

    to the Tuesday-night dharma talks.

    They all just sit still and

    learn to breathe.

    Like breathing is something

    you have to learn.

    Mom does that thing

    where she pulls my hair

    to get me to smile.

    "Oh come on, honey.

    It’s called a ‘sitting meditation.’

    If I wore jeans like yours

    I’d lose circulation in my legs.

    Come to think of it

    did your dad see you wearing those

    when you left this morning?"

    Seriously?

    My jeans are not even tight.

    So what if the shape

    of my cell phone

    is permanently embossed

    on one pocket?

    Sometimes just being

    in the same room with my mom

    even the sound of her voice

    makes it hard to be a person.

    Paul’s car pulls up.

    Mom grabs her wallet

    out of the diaper bag.

    "Thanks for babysitting, sweetie.

    We should be back early

    unless they’re stopping people

    at the checkpoints.

    We’ll definitely be home

    before the curfew."

    She kisses Trevor.

    Calls to the twins.

    "Hey, guys, bedtime at

    the usual time tonight.

    No messing around!"

    She signs I love you

    toward the dining room

    blows me a kiss

    and is gone.

    Brothers

    Trevor smiles from his high chair.

    Reaches for me.

    I lean in.

    Pretend to steal his nose.

    He erupts in belly laughs.

    Smears pureed carrots in my long hair.

    I pull it into a ponytail with

    a twist tie.

    Sigh.

    I adore my baby brother

    but

    I want to get upstairs.

    Check on The Weekend Plan.

    You couldn’t pay me enough to eat that.

    Elliott surprises me.

    Unnaturally quiet.

    Never hear him coming.

    I try to bribe him to feed Trevor.

    (I have another Twinkie

    in my backpack.

    In the gluten-free economy

    of my bizarre family

    Twinkies are worth a lot

    on the stepbrother

    black market.)

    But he’s helping James.

    Science project.

    Can’t be bought.

    They have one of those

    freaky twin connections.

    Can read each other’s minds.

    Plus the fact that James is deaf

    makes me feel awkward.

    Even after all this time.

    I know it’s not cool

    to say that, but there it is.

    I said it anyway.

    Doesn’t help I live half-time

    with Dad and Jennifer.

    I used to love the regular breaks

    from gluten-phobic diets and

    silent dinner conversations.

    Until Paul and Mom had Trevor.

    Now it feels like I’m missing out.

    I want my own freaky connection

    with someone who can read my mind.

    Pocket vibrates.

    Click on Ashanti’s name.

    6:55 p.m.

    WEEKEND MISSION IS GO

    Our Weekend Plan (or, How I Got Myself into This Mess)

    We are going

    to lie

    to our parents

    and have

    a

    secret sleepover.

    Emma and Ashanti

    will say

    they are spending

    the night at

    each other’s house

    and I will tell Mom

    I am with Dad

    and tell Dad

    I am with Mom

    but

    we will actually

    sleep over at

    my grandparents’ empty

    summer apartment.

    We will:

    make popcorn

    stay up super late

    watch glamorous old Katharine Hepburn movies

    lounge on the king-sized bed

    sleep as long as we like

    No one nagging us to:

    get up

    do the laundry

    clean your room

    change (stinky gross) diapers

    We. Are. Geniuses.

    Thesis

    After dinner, Elliott sneaks up on me again.

    "Can you please help me with my book report?

    I’m having trouble with my thesis."

    Thesis?

    He’s in fourth grade.

    What does he know about drafting a thesis?

    I’m in Accelerated.

    (my family is a freak show)

    He takes a deep breath.

    Launches his explanation.

    "It’s called Island of the Blue Dolphins

    and it’s about a girl who lives alone

    on an island for eighteen years.

    She jumps off a boat and stays behind

    to save her brother but then he dies

    and she tames a dog and later she makes a friend

    but really she’s pretty much on her own

    until she’s totally grown up and—"

    ELLIOTT.

    Sharper than I intend.

    His hands flutter.

    He shifts his weight.

    I tweak the brim of his hat.

    He relaxes.

    "I have to prove whether her biggest challenge is to

    defend herself against the wild dogs

    provide food and shelter for herself

    or

    learn to trust a friend."

    Plot details are sketchy in my memory.

    I ask him what he thinks.

    Her brother dies and she’s left alone.

    Elliott’s eyes fill with tears.

    The wild dogs get him.

    He glances toward the dining room

    where we hear James working.

    Jeez. Why do they let little kids read stuff like this

    even if they are in Accelerated?

    Listen, Ell, I say, "wild dogs can be scary for sure

    and it sucks what happens to her brother

    but if she doesn’t have a place to live and

    food to eat, she can’t exactly survive, can she?

    I think her biggest challenge is B, definitely."

    Elliott exhales.

    "Really? I kind of thought so too

    but I wasn’t positive. Thanks, Maddie!"

    I smile.

    And think of the upcoming weekend.

    Our very own Island of No Brothers or Parents.

    All alone with unlimited fun and freedom.

    Cannot wait.

    Paul

    I wrangle the boys into their bunk beds.

    Trevor finishes his bottle and falls

    asleep in the crib across the room

    from where I lie on my own twin bed.

    I don’t love sharing my room

    but at least for now he’s quiet.

    Log in to my laptop.

    Kitten videos.

    Tumbling around on

    a patient golden retriever.

    Adorable. So precious.

    Hear garage door.

    Switch computer to online history textbook.

    Open binder.

    Stretch out on stomach.

    Pretend to study.

    After a few minutes, Paul peeks in the open door.

    Hey there, how’s it going, kiddo?

    He crosses to Trevor’s crib.

    Tucks in the baby blanket.

    I grunt.

    Frown at my Cornell notes.

    Draw an elephant in the margin.

    (My friends all say I draw really good elephants.)

    Paul tries again.

    "It’s nice to have you here. We miss you

    on the weeks you’re at your dad’s."

    Not even sure why I’m being so rude.

    Paul’s gentle voice brings out the meanest part of me.

    "Well, we really appreciate you babysitting

    so we could have a little date. Thanks."

    He pauses.

    A few awkward moments.

    I keep drawing.

    Okay. Sleep tight.

    Paul leaves the room.

    Closes the door.

    exhale

    slam the computer shut

    roll onto my back

    stare up at the ceiling fan

    trace the pattern of blades moving in lazy rotations

    weekend can’t come soon enough

    Friday

    Feeling fine.

    New striped top and denim leggings.

    Jean jacket. Floral backpack.

    I even let Mom kiss me

    as I leave for school.

    Language Arts

    (autopilot)

    Pre-Algebra

    (autopilot)

    Study Hall

    (shopping list)

    Social Studies

    (lockdown drill)

    Fine Art

    (progress on vanishing-point project)

    Spanish

    (autopilot)

    Earth Science

    (autopilot)

    Final bell!

    Bike to store.

    (snacks, soda, frozen pizza)

    Grocery bags on handlebars.

    Fifteen-minute wait at intersection for

    military trucks to roll through town.

    Convoys come through every day now.

    Mom always has the news on

    listening for information

    about checkpoints and delays

    and protective action curfews

    whatever that means.

    I personally don’t get why everyone is so uptight.

    It’s just a bunch of trucks moving stuff around

    not World War III.

    Pedal to grandparents’ empty apartment.

    (Easy to get the key

    since Dad had an extra set

    hanging on a hook

    in the laundry room.)

    Soda in fridge to chill.

    TV on.

    Feet up.

    YES

    Tangled Web

    to Mom 4:46 p.m.

    plan changed

    staying over at dads for help with huge history project

    back tomorrow afternoon xo

    to Dad 4:47 p.m.

    babysitting tonight for P and Mom

    c u sunday after church? I’ll make the waffles this time!

    from Mom 4:50 p.m.

    Please ask Dad if he might be able to get us two tickets to the concert next Thursday? I’d like to take Paul for his birthday.

    Good luck with the project and don’t stay up too late.

    Concert tickets are a good idea.

    Dad conducts.

    Jennifer plays flute.

    Paul doesn’t play anything

    but loves music.

    from Dad 4:53 p.m.

    Sounds good. I want bananas and walnuts on mine! Make sure you charge Paul time and a half for working on a weekend! ha ha.

    love you.

    Everything is going perfectly.

    Monkey Wrench

    Emma 6:40 p.m.

    no sleepover.

    ashanti threw up in her moms car

    Me 6:40 p.m.

    gross! can u still come?

    tell ur mom ur sleeping over at my house

    Emma 6:41 p.m.

    tried but she called ur mom who said u were 2 busy w/ur dad doing history. sux! maybe next week?

    Me 6:41 p.m.

    A banquet of junk food spans the coffee table.

    All that money and risk and

    no one’s coming after all.

    At least there’s no crying baby to wake me up

    and I can sleep in tomorrow.

    I settle into the couch and scroll through channels

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