In the 90's we were all concerned about Y2K. What would happen when the clocks clicked from 11:59pm to 12:00am January 1, 2000? Would the computers stop working? Would society fall? I pictured people climbing rooftops with their cult-cocktails and signs for end of the world. When the time came, what happened you ask? Nothing. Life went on. The world went on. Obviously -- most of you were born (possibly a result of too much Y2K cuddling between your parents).
Then the year 2000 came. We worried in that decade about PANDEMICS. There was the avian flu, SARS, and swine flue (aka H1N1), to name just a few. People wore medical masks in public. Health workers could get infected and die. People died. Panic spread like wildfire. It was Y2K all over again, but instead of computers, we were afraid of each other.
The last 5 years have been overtaken by ZOMBIES. Definitely a concern if you live near a cemetery, or any overpopulated city. Perhaps this was a carry over of our pandemic concerns. Personally, this is one of my favourites.
So what do these have to do with Eric Walters's novel "The Rule of 3"? Simply put, it's the next sensation: SURVIVALISM. Everything is gone: cell phones, computers, electricity, internet (yikes I hear teens screaming all over the country). What was it? A solar flare? Warfare? Aliens? Most likely the first, but you don't actually get to find out in Book 1. Instead you get informed on awesome survival ideas, like the first steps to take to protect your neighbourhood, how important it is to stock up on chlorine (I will have to remember to raid my mother's hot tub stash), and how to manage an unruly group of dissidents.
Though this novel is written for young adults, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and feel it is even appropriate for middle grade. It's the kind of novel a reluctant reader would enjoy, with it's fast paced descriptions and smooth flowing scenes. The end of the book even provides us with important items to keep in a bag for emergencies, as well as a list of school discussion questions. Oh, if I was a teacher I would have so much fun with this as a book project!
I enjoyed reading "The Rule of 3" and would recommend it to anyone as an excellent starter novel to learn about how to prepare for a global emergency.
Over and out. -- Melanie
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