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Children's Book of the Month

The Last Wild by Piers Torday
Published by Quercus, 2013

Kester Jaynes lives in a home for troubled children and has not uttered a single word in six years. With the spread of the red-eye plague which resulted in the death of all the animals, people have been rounded up and kept in the cities for their safety.

Kester is bullied by his fellow inmates and has nothing but a cockroach for a friend with whom he shares his food. But he has more to give to insects and animals than just food when he discovers he can communicate with them.

Through his telepathic talents he is rescued by a flock of pigeons and taken to a quarantine zone where he meets the last surviving animals. He befriends a young brave girl called Penny and finds the courage to search for his father and for a cure for the deadly red-eye plague.

This dystopian read for older children is full of action-packed adventure while concentrating on the themes of friendship and loyalty.

With lots of discussion currently on saving the planet, climate change and the perils of global warming this book gives an interesting view of today’s world from a child’s point of view. Favourably reviewed as a children’s book on publication, it also gives adults food for thought.