"A tense, original and thought-provoking dystopian adventure."
February 2026 Debut of the Month
Dystopian adventures are back with a bang it seems, and increasingly relevant sadly, their ruined futures feeling much closer than they once did.
In Miranda Reason’s clever debut, in a baking near future, weeds carry spores that spread a deadly rabies-like disease infecting animals and humans alike. Human society has been reduced to individuals or small communities who scavenge for food and whatever else they can find in empty buildings, keeping a wary distance from anyone they don’t know.
Dayna and her younger brother Pax live with their father, just the three of them, the children experts in growing their own food, and in self-defence. When their father is bitten by an infected rat however, they decide to look for adult help, Dayna responding to messages picked up on an old radio. She’s desperate to find people they can trust, but the adults they come across are – mostly – exactly the kind her father has warned them against.
When their father is captured by a ruthless gang, they determine to rescue him and prove tough and quick-thinking enough to hold their own against their elders, though they still find themselves in unsettling situations, Dayna particularly at risk as an adolescent girl. Each encounter brings new dangers and their father’s advice to trust absolutely no-one turns out to be horribly, heartbreakingly true.
It makes for tense, compelling reading - readers will find their heart in their mouth at frequent points in the young people’s journey. As well as being a terrific adventure story, like all the best dystopia, this novel also puts current society and human nature in the frame and sets readers thinking about what makes the best of us, the best of society.
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To survive, trust no one.An explosive dystopian YA novel perfect for fans of The Last of Us and All That's Left in the World.A devastating fungal pandemic has wiped out most of society. Dayna and Pax live in an isolated house in the countryside, learning to survive in the world left behind.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Day of Now and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Day of Now features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Featured Books for Young Adults, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Speculative, dystopian and utopian fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback, Hardback. £15.29, down from the £16.99 cover price. In Stock.
Day of Now was written by Miranda Reason and published by Bloomsbury Young Adult an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
Day of Now has 398 pages
£15.29, reduced from £16.99. In Stock.
