When their water is shut off without warning, Alyssa, her ten-year-old brother Garrett, and their parents assume it’s temporary and head to the store for a case of water to tide them over. But Costco is a madhouse, and all the water is gone. It’s the beginning of what is dubbed the “Tap-Out”: Arizona has blocked the Colorado River due to water shortages, throwing Southern California into a state of crisis and panic. In addition to Alyssa and Garrett, this riveting and all-too-believable narrative focuses on Kelton, Alyssa’s classmate and next- door neighbor, and Jacqui, a tough-as-nails teen they meet. Kelton’s family are “preppers.” They have weeks’ worth of food and water, an arsenal of weapons, and their own electricity, all of which make them a target. They also have a “bug-out” with additional supplies hidden in the woods. They pick up Jacqui on their arduous and obstacle-riddled journey to the bug-out. Snapshots of others—a journalist, a teammate of Alyssa’s, a member of the National Guard, etc.—provide a fuller picture of the chaos as it develops. A range of human behavior is on display in this chillingly credible novel, from the utterly desperate acts of those dying of thirst to the brilliant resourcefulness of others, in a story that serves as a warning of what may come if we fail to halt climate change. (Age 13 and older)