The Gone Away Place

Gr 7 Up—It only took a couple hours for high school senior Ellie's life to be changed forever. When a series of tornadoes hits her small Ohio town, the results are devastating. Ellie's school, her friends, and her boyfriend Noah are gone. In the following days and weeks, Ellie must find a way to cope with such an extreme loss and find a way to move on. The people who died in the tornadoes, however, cannot move on and are stuck in a gray area unable to find their way into the afterlife. Most wander the town looking for the loved ones they left behind, but some have far darker pursuits. Adding depth to the plot, the story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Ellie, the ghosts left behind, and the adults in Ellie's life. While the subject matter is bleak, Barzak writes in a way that the darkness of the plot doesn't overwhelm readers. As teens move through the book, the darkness gives way to hope and a satisfying ending. This is an incredibly moving book that seamlessly blends reality with the paranormal.