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Reek: A Times Children’s Book of the Week
Climate catastrophe leaves the people of Earth fighting for oxygen in this gripping dystopian thriller from bestselling sci-fi author Alastair Chisholm.
Sparrow lives in the world after the Reek. The atmosphere is toxically polluted, and Axel Brodie, the tech billionaire behind Zephyr Industries, is cashing in as the only supplier of clean air. Sparrow is struggling to help her family survive until her brilliant inventor friend, Miriam Fenn, comes up with a new form of technology that could break Zephyr’s stranglehold on the air supply. But men like Brodie are hard to defeat, and he will do everything in his power to stop Miriam and Sparrow. Who will triumph in this battle to breathe?
Sparrow lives in the world after the Reek. The atmosphere is toxically polluted, and Axel Brodie, the tech billionaire behind Zephyr Industries, is cashing in as the only supplier of clean air. Sparrow is struggling to help her family survive until her brilliant inventor friend, Miriam Fenn, comes up with a new form of technology that could break Zephyr’s stranglehold on the air supply. But men like Brodie are hard to defeat, and he will do everything in his power to stop Miriam and Sparrow. Who will triumph in this battle to breathe?
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2024
About the author
Alastair Chisholm
64 books72 followersAlastair is an award-winning children's author and puzzle creator. He's the author of the sci-fi middle-grade adventures ORION LOST and ADAM-2 , and children's picture books THE PRINCE AND THE WITCH AND THE THIEF AND THE BEARS and INCH AND GRUB, as well as books of Sudoku, Kakuro and other puzzles, including the Kids' Book of Sudoku and Kids' Book of Kakuro series.
Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife (who is lovely), two children (who are lovely but very loud), and a cat who is yowling at him even though there is clearly food in her bowl, look, it’s right there, *look*.
You can follow him on Twitter at @alastair_ch
Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife (who is lovely), two children (who are lovely but very loud), and a cat who is yowling at him even though there is clearly food in her bowl, look, it’s right there, *look*.
You can follow him on Twitter at @alastair_ch
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 5, 2024
A gripping dystopian thriller set in a future where the Earth's atmosphere has been toxically polluted by a deadly mist known as the Reek. In this dire world, only tech billionaire Axel Brodie has the means to produce clean air, making oxygen a precious commodity that must be purchased.
The story centres on Sparrow, a determined young girl living in Reek-swamped Edinburgh. Sparrow works tirelessly to support her family, delivering packages while navigating the perils of a society suffocated by pollution. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her friend, inventor Miriam Fenn, discovers a revolutionary way to produce clean air independently of Brodie's monopoly. This discovery puts them both in grave danger as powerful forces seek to maintain control over the vital resource.
Reek combines thrilling action with a poignant exploration of environmental issues and corporate greed. The narrative is fast-paced and filled with suspense: a little is packed into such a short story. Caltsoudas's illustrations vividly bring the dystopian world to life. The book not only entertains but provokes thought about our current environmental challenges and the consequences of unchecked corporate power.
The story centres on Sparrow, a determined young girl living in Reek-swamped Edinburgh. Sparrow works tirelessly to support her family, delivering packages while navigating the perils of a society suffocated by pollution. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her friend, inventor Miriam Fenn, discovers a revolutionary way to produce clean air independently of Brodie's monopoly. This discovery puts them both in grave danger as powerful forces seek to maintain control over the vital resource.
Reek combines thrilling action with a poignant exploration of environmental issues and corporate greed. The narrative is fast-paced and filled with suspense: a little is packed into such a short story. Caltsoudas's illustrations vividly bring the dystopian world to life. The book not only entertains but provokes thought about our current environmental challenges and the consequences of unchecked corporate power.
June 11, 2024
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was great! While short, it still managed to drive home the desperation of the situation and the struggle for air and money both. It doesn’t make environmentalism itself the main story even though it’s a cli-fi book, and I think it handles the topic brilliantly - you’d end up looking into what changes you can make now if you weren’t already.
Sparrow is a great main character. She’s feisty, tired and brave. I also like that she’s a different sort of hero (you’ll understand if you read it, I don’t want to spoil).
As always, Barrington Stoke have picked a great story! I definitely recommend giving it a go. 4.5 stars.
This was great! While short, it still managed to drive home the desperation of the situation and the struggle for air and money both. It doesn’t make environmentalism itself the main story even though it’s a cli-fi book, and I think it handles the topic brilliantly - you’d end up looking into what changes you can make now if you weren’t already.
Sparrow is a great main character. She’s feisty, tired and brave. I also like that she’s a different sort of hero (you’ll understand if you read it, I don’t want to spoil).
As always, Barrington Stoke have picked a great story! I definitely recommend giving it a go. 4.5 stars.
September 11, 2024
I struggled with this one. The setting and illustrations were fantastic, but the protagonist/narrator Sparrow was extremely difficult to believe and root for. It's like the character was struggling to balance the role of narrator with the role of protagonist and the mask would occasionally slip to reveal a moralistic omniscient narrator behind the child character.
June 23, 2024
I enjoyed this sci-fi, dystopian land where clean air is a luxury being ring-fenced by one man. I thought the characters were great! This is really fast-paced and as ever @BarringtonStoke are publishing readable, accessible stories! This will be perfect in my class!
September 13, 2024
Solid kids novel! I liked it a lot.
September 30, 2024
This short novel is a glance into an eerily realistic dystopian future where residents must buy air to breathe in a corrupted world. Reek pairs a fascinatingly daunting world with a brilliantly daring protagonist determined to protect her family at all costs to create an impactful tale of hope and courage.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews