A Kid's POV

Eight-year-old Alan doesn’t like going to school, but when a global pandemic leaves him orphaned, cold, starving, and lonely, he has no choice but to set out on a dangerous quest to return to his third-grade classroom. 

SCHOOL’S OUT, an all-new post-apocalyptic novella by Grandmaster Award winning author Brian Keene, was suggested to him by his son, marking their first official collaboration, and is suitable for all ages.

School's Out by Brian Keene is a horror novella that I can recommend to my friends AND their kids. The focus of the story is all about Alan's level of critical thinking during a pandemic, which has taken his parents away from him. He often references YouTube videos and his parents to make decisions.

During his time alone, Alan faces everything from caring for himself and his cat to stranger danger and feral dogs. Not to mention that Alan is also on the autism spectrum. Throughout the story, I felt the boy's feelings, thoughts, and actions were believable behavior from a grade-schooler facing multiple hardships.

My own son, at age 8, had grown up with a mom writing for horror websites, and a dad performing stunt choreography in dozens of horror movies. My son also acted in a zombie movie (his character even survives to the end), so the topic of "what if" in an apocalyptic situation is something my son grew up with.

It sounds extreme, as well as morbid, but planning for a worst-case scenario prepared my son for common emergencies. Additionally, the "what if" discussions made it easier to address the serious topics in the news headlines. I highly recommend this story as a way to have your own "what if" discussion with your kids. Their responses might delight and surprise you.

As always,
AstraDaemon