When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

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; neighbours 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.

About the Author
Neal Shusterman is an award-winning author whose books include the New York Times bestselling Unwind series and Challenger Deep, which won a National Book Award, as well as the Arc of a Scythe series. He also writes screenplays for film and television, for shows such as Goosebumps and Animorphs. He lives in Florida and has four children. Follow him on Twitter: @NealShusterman

Reviews
No one does doom like Neal Shusterman (Thunderhead, 2018, etc.)-the breathtakingly jagged brink of apocalypse is only overshadowed by the sense that his dystopias lie just below the surface of readers' fragile reality, a few thoughtless actions away ... Mouths have never run so dry at the idea of thirst. * Kirkus Reviews *
... the palpable desperation that pervades the plot as it thunders toward the ending feels true, giving it a chilling air of inevitability. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
"A pacy, gripping read which combines snarky teenage dialogue and concerns about friendship, family and the future with the heightened emotion of facing the apparent end of your world." * Press Association Syndicated Review *
"I thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoyed this book. It was captivating, it was honestly terrifying. [...] I loved this book so much, it was dark & shocking at times, it made me think deeply about our society's values and the current state of our world and I love that Neal is highlighting these issues in his books. He is slowly becoming one of my absolute favourite authors." * Bibliotales *
"This book was so thought-provoking, it made me think a lot about what we currently value and the things we take for granted." * Bibliotales *


Awards
Winner of Trinity Schools Book Award 2023 (UK). Short-listed for CrimeFest Awards (Best Crime Novel for YA) 2019 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9781406386851
Author Neal Shusterman
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Walker Books Ltd
Publisher Walker Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 287g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 25mm