Alex Wise feels like his world is ending. His best friend is leaving Los Angeles for the summer; his former friends and maybe sort-of crush hasn't spoken to him since he ditched Alex on the first day of sixth grade; and now Alex's mom is sending him and his annoying younger sister, Mags, on a cruise with their dad, who abandoned them. Then there's the creepy shadow monster that may or may not be stalking him. But none of that could prepare Alex for...

"A group of house mice struggle to survive a long and strange winter. The humans are gone, the sun is rarely seen, and a cold, dark rain befouls everything it touches. The mice, long dependent on humans for food, stubbornly cling to their old ways, looting the nearby abandoned houses for any scraps they can find. Once, there was plenty to eat, but now the scavengers return empty-handed, or not at all. Food is scarce, but danger is everywhere. Poison...