The Last Wild
Book 1
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
This is a story about a boy named Kester. He is extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this:
1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom.
2. They are talking to him.
3. His life will never be quite the same again...
Kester lives in a land in quarantine. A deadly virus has killed all the animals except pests and it's expected to be equally dangerous to humans. But when Kester realises he can talk to the pests, he finds they have great hope invested in him.
A captivating animal adventure destined to be loved by readers of all ages.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this offbeat semi-apocalyptic fantasy, debut novelist Torday introduces 12-year-old Kester Jaynes, a prisoner at Spectrum Hall Academy for Challenging Children. Kester's world was turned upside down by the death of his mother six years earlier (he hasn't spoken since). The larger world is in tumult, too, wrecked by global warming and "the red-eye," which killed off most animal life and threatens humans with extinction. One day, Kester is stunned to discover he can communicate with cockroaches, pigeons, and other "varmints," who ask him for help: "*Come with us now, Kester Jaynes. Or rot here forever. The choice is yours.*" With the aid of the varmints, Kester escapes from Spectrum Hall and learns that he is the chosen savior of "the last wild," the few remaining animals on Earth. A sort of dystopian Winnie-the-Pooh, Torday's story is alternately somber, thrilling, and silly, filled with eccentric human and animal characters with distinctive voices. That includes Kester although his fellow humans see him as silent, his courage, actions, and growth speak volumes. Ages 8 12.
