Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman
Posted on 03/17/2021
Photo: Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman

"The extreme circumstances in the story pose many ethical dilemmas.

Jeanne Mochel, Soddy Daisy High School

 

Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman is the Hamilton Book of the Week nominated by Soddy Daisy High School. The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers. Until the taps run dry. Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon

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From Amazon.com:

“The authors do not hold back.” —Booklist (starred review)

“The palpable desperation that pervades the plot…feels true, giving it a chilling air of inevitability.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

To check out more recommended books in the Hamilton Book of the Week at https://www.hcde.org/parents___students/suggested_reading.

 

Hamilton Book of the Week seeks to move Hamilton County Schools closer to district goals found in the Future Ready 2023 action plan.  We hope to encourage kids to read more books for fun by sharing books popular at area schools.  

Goals more students reading will address include:

  • Reading improvement will increase the number of students on-track or mastering English language arts 
  • Improve the district ACT score to a district average of 21     
  • Reach the target goal of a 90 percent graduation rate by 2023