What is the name of this book about a beam of blue light that transported a boy into the future?

Question

I'm trying to remember the name of a book I read about four years ago.

It was about a boy who got transported by a beam of blue light into a primitive civilization of seemingly ancient people. He met a girl there, and I don't remember much that happened, but it turns out that he saw a part of a Coke bottle on the ground and realized that it was actually the future, and most of the population had been wiped out by some kind of disease.

He somehow found the light and got back, and when he returned to his own time, he forgot how to speak English for a while, and then set out to find a cure for the disease.

On the cover was a desert with a beam of blue light descending from the sky onto the sand, I think.

Anyone know what it's called?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I think, you are talking about The Transall Saga which is written by Gary Paulsen. It story about a 13 yr old boy Mark who After stepping into a mysterious beam of light, Mark is transported to another place--a strange and hostile world. As Mark tries to find his way back home, he learns to survive in this dangerous jungle, calling on reserves of strength he didn't know he had. Encountering wild creatures, primitive tribes, and a more advanced and warlike group of humans, the young protagonist is forced to grow up before he can return to the life he once knew. In the process, he becomes a slave, a warrior, and falls in love--all before the mystery of exactly where he is becomes clear. I got this information from www.amazon.com....the link is