The concept. I’ve watched TV shows about families who are preparing for an apocalypse of some type or another.

And Jory starts to wonder if his strange but charismatic stepfather might just be wrong. But balancing his family’s secrets (both the canyon and Jory’s younger sister who I’ll talk about more specifically in my review) and his new life and friendships gets to be very tricky. He finds himself spending the time that his family is sleeping with a few kids from school, and he is surprised to find that he actually starts to connect with them – and he likes it. Meanwhile, Jory’s family’s new schedule allows him a little more freedom – one day a week, Jory has off so that he can catch up with school. Every night, for hours, Jory and his family dig.

So, they begin to dig a shelter in the canyon out behind their house. He’s never really quite sure what – he just knows that his stepfather is sure that something bad is coming, and that they need to be prepared. The book follows Jory, whose family is preparing for – something. This book is really tough to review because I loved it, right up until the very end, when I thought, “Wait? That’s it?” Still, I’ve given myself a little time to ponder it, and I think I’m okay with the abrupt ending – mostly. When the stark reality of his stepfather's plans becomes clear, Jory must choose between living his own life or following Caleb, shutting his eyes to the bright world he's just begun to see. But as the hold gets deeper, so does the family's doubt about whether Caleb's prophecy is true. They begin an exhausting schedule digging a mysterious tunnel in anticipation of the disaster. As Jory's friendships grow, Caleb notifies Jory's mother and siblings that the time has come for final preparations. School is Jory's only escape from Caleb's tight grasp, and with the help of new friends Jory begins to explore a world beyond his family's farm. The end is coming, and they must be prepared. He must follow a very specific set of rules: don't trust anyone outside the family, have your works at the ready just in case, and always, always watch out for the signs. And because of them Jory's life is far from ordinary. All the fish in the aquarium facing the same way.

The signs are everywhere, Jory's stepfather, Caleb, says.Red leaves in the springtime.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard