How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff

Abstract

Reviewed by: How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff Natalie Berglind Falkoff, Michelle How to Pack for the End of the World. HarperTeen, 2020 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062680266 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062680280 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-10 Recent antisemitic vandalism at her synagogue has fueled Amina’s obsession with the apocalypse she’s convinced is coming, so she’s been sent to Gardner Academy for a new start. There, she meets up with a boy who grew up in a cult, an Instagram fashion influencer, a rich boy who loves shortcuts, and a girl with a mysterious past, and together they form a survival club, conducting games to prepare for the end of the world. As the group becomes closer, vulnerable information about each member is leaked, including scandalous photos and journal entries, but only one of their own could have done it. Unfortunately, this book veers way off track from its premise, and readers looking for an interesting prepper tale will instead receive typical high school drama with frequently fallible logic. The ending adds another layer of confusion as the saboteur is revealed, having ruined multiple reputations, and a time jump skips to the next year when the culprit is already forgiven and the group works toward preventing the apocalypse rather than preparing for it, a lesson that comes off as forced. Readers interested in teen apocalyptic fear may want to look instead to Henry’s Let’s Call It a Doomsday (BCCB 10/19), but those interested in mysteries may still want to finish this to discover the perpetrator. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois