Alone

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But Meredith isn't totally alone. She has her cat Fred and her best friend, Sadie. There is also the guy who delivers her groceries. There is her new friend Tom McDermott from Holding Hands who has started visiting her once a week, just to listen, do jigsaw puzzles, and talk. Plus the online support group where she meets a new member, Celeste. And we can't forget Meredith's online therapist. She really isn't completely alone. But she is trapped in a way that she hasn't been able to escape. Mini non-spoiler spoiler for anyone looking for a magic peen being the driving force that gets my gal Meredith out of her house – you got the wrong book. And yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to all of the rest of us who dabble in romance, but realize the healing process after a traumatic event REALLY shouldn’t include a weiner. I liked the connection that Maddie had to her family and the ways she tried to preserve those connections even while she was alone. It was so sweet that she had the dog with her, too. I really liked him and that they took care of each other. Meredith has not been outside her home in 1214 days. She is content with her choices and enjoys her life for the most part. She has a remote job, a solid friend named Sadie, and a lovely cat Fred. As the story progresses, we learn more about Meredith's past and why she is at home. How long can Maddie survive on her own??? Not that she's alone-alone, she still has her dog GEORGE. But still, she's TWELVE and on her own. Her only other company is the people she meets in BOOKS she borrows from the library.

I truly fell head over heels in love with Meredith! I loved getting inside her world and I also enjoyed getting to know Tom and Sadie the sub-characters. Through alternating timelines, we learn about Merideth’s past and about the traumas she has faced that have put her in her current situation. Meredith isn't living a "normal" life now. She'd worked outside of her home once and actually saved enough to buy her own place. She'd dated, had a boyfriend, went to the pub with friends, but all that changed after a terrible thing happened to her. Still, things weren't really okay for Meredith before that terrible thing happened. Her childhood experiences had already taken so much from her. Just wait until you meet her mom, actually you don't want to meet her mom.I tend to really enjoy novels in verse, but also feel a little bit inadequate reading them? Does this happen to anyone else? Just me? But seriously she wouldn't think of trying to plant anything for 2 years? And I mean, even if apples the first year were wormy, I'd probably be eating around the worms if I had been living off of canned goods

I laughed, I cried, and I rejoiced. Meredith draws a line between living alone and being lonely, which is an important idea. It’s ok to live alone, but painful to be lonely. The novel is gripping and the plot fast-paced...This is a tense, engrossing survival story on par with classics such as Hatchet." - Booklist Before the evacuation, Maddie helps her brother write an essay about the challenges facing the main character of Island of the Blue Dolphins, who is left alone on an island for eighteen years. Maddie thinks the character’s biggest challenge is finding food and shelter. Is this what Maddie finds most challenging when she is alone herself? What do you think would be most challenging for you? The suspension of disbelief for this premise has to be pretty high, (especially compared to The Disaster Days or Life As We Knew It) but I still enjoyed this modern verse take on Island of the Blue Dolphins. What does Maddie miss most about her family and friends after they’re gone? Describe the emotions she’s feeling. Do you think she’s surprised by any of her reactions? What do you think you would miss most about your family and friends if you were suddenly separated from them?This exciting story of tenacity, determination, and ingenuity is hard to put down, and thank heavens nothing happens to the dog." - NPR Even with that, I really liked ALONE. It’s a bit too dark to say I enjoyed it– lots of moments left me uncomfortable, and I will admit that I even peeked ahead to the end because I just needed to know that I could handle what would happen. (It had been an unusually tough week.) This is the moment teens Seth, Anaya, and Petra have both been anticipating and dreading ever since aliens called cryptogens began attempting to colonize the Earth: the chance to defend their planet. Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in Glasgow Scotland in 3 years, 3 months, and 29 days. She works from home as a writer and gets all of her supplies delivered so she never has to leave. Along with her cat Fred, her friend Sadie who drops by, and an online chat group that she's a member of, Sadie keeps busy. She also has a passion for jigsaw puzzles and baking but some things still missing. Not so much a survival story (due to the Tere's youth at the time of the incident) but an exploration of human character and interactions, Tere's memoir offers a glimpse into several lives and events shaped by post WWII's unique times leading up to and including the early sixties.