The day the world ended began sunny and bright. There was no lightning, no thunder. No fiery comets soared across a darkening sky. No ravens screeched. No frenzied dogs barked, except for Winston, the dog next door. He always barked – morning, noon and night – which made the last day of the world seem exactly the same as any other day.
When they go for their favourite early morning swim on the 21st of September, Annie and Mac don’t think anything is different about the day. But a strange flash of light under the water alerts them that something – everything – is wrong. Out of the water they discover that they are the only ones from their home town alive. Soon it becomes apparent that the whole of humanity has been wiped out, except for them.
For a whole terrible day the twins try to unravel what has happened, how they will survive alone – and why it is them who remain alive. But when they wake up the next morning they discover they have gone back in time, till before the extinction took place. Now they have the opportunity to find other teens who also survived the extinction, and figure out a way to stop it ever happening. But there is someone who will do anything to stop them – someone who wants the human race obliterated.
The Day the World Ended is the first in an exciting new series for teens, based on the premise of a group of teens who are able both to survive an extinction and to travel through time. As they attempt to locate the other teens, Annie and Mac also try to unravel the mysteries of how they survive, what it is that will wipe out the human race and how they can stop it from happening.
The Day the World Ended is suitable for upper primary and lower secondary aged readers.
The Day the World Ended (Extinction), by Lizzie Wilcock
Scholastic, 2011
ISBN 9781741696462
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