Teenager Leigh Chen is fleeing for her life. It’s 2072, several years since scientists realized methane build-up would lead to volcanic eruptions that would destroy Earth’s atmosphere. Leigh, daughter of the U.S. president, was in California for a PR tour of the Lazarus, the prototype for a fleet of ships designed to save a small percentage of the human population, when the alarm signaling the first eruption went off months earlier than expected. The pilot’s daughter launches the ship as the world explodes around them. There are 53 people on board, none over 18, children of world leaders, scientists, historians, and preservationists. Leigh, a born organizer and a natural politician when it comes to walking the middle road and keeping her true feelings hidden, joins a few others to form a leadership council. When they discover the Lazarus was not fully supplied with essentials to survive, like ample food and a seed bank, decisions become tougher, discontent grows, alliances form, and efforts to undermine or overthrow the council make it impossible for Leigh to know whom to trust, let alone to reveal what she really thinks and feels, even as she’s challenged to do just that. This fascinating look at group dynamics is also such a personal, human story. Leigh and others are struggling with grief, loss, fear, and the genuine desire to do what they believe is best for everyone in a novel that never stops offering surprises.  (Age 13 and older)