Two children from very different backgrounds join forces to avert environmental catastrophe in this gripping and important novel from the author of Boy 87.
United by greed and self-interest - but not their own. A boy lives in a remote, snow-bound village with his elderly grandmother. Their traditional way of life is threatened by the changing snow and ice: it melts faster every year. When the sea-ice collapses while he is out hunting, he only just escapes with his life and is left stranded in the Arctic tundra.
Meanwhile, a girl is trying to adapt to another new school. Her father promises his new job at an oil company will mean they never have to move again, but not long after he starts, his behaviour becomes odd and secretive.
When their fates take a drastic turn the girl's world collides with the boy's and they find themselves together in a desperate search for survival, and for the truth.
Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books
ISBN: 9781782692881
Number of pages: 256
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
A marvellously compulsive story. The unbelievable made believable. Now there's the test of a great story - Michael Morpurgo
Corrupt oil corporations, lost planes, and epic journeys of survival across the threatened Arctic - this is a brave and high-octane thriller about a boy and girl who are both affected by the fossil fuel industry in different ways. As well as carrying an important message, this is a thrilling action-adventure novel - Lauren James, author of The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
A tense, high-stakes survival adventure, underpinned with the urgent issue of climate change. Her earlier novels, BOY 87 and LOST, both come highly recommended - Bookseller, Editor's Choice
Fans of Ele Fountain, author of Boy 87 and Lost, will find plenty of white-knuckle drama in Melt - Telegraph
An engaging eco-conscious thriller - New Statesman
I thoroughly recommend this book and give it full marks! - Maeve, 11
Praise for Ele Fountain: - --
Fountain writes with verisimilitude and verve. Novels are works of imagination and this book's compassion overrides any questions about the "right to write" - Observer
[Lost] will arouse compassion for society's lost, reminding readers how small the difference may be between them and us - Sunday Times
Full of tension, fear, heartbreak and hope, [Boy 87] conveys both the bitterness of having family, home and identity stolen away piecemeal, and a courageous determination to survive - Guardian
Exceptional... vivid, convincing and empathetic... [Boy 87] grips us with the need to know how the heart-stopping events will turn out - The Times, Children's Book of the Week
I always enjoy Ele’s books; I’m always impressed with her ability to pack so much into such relatively short adventures (surely she’s got to do Barrington Stoke at some point??)
Quick reads they may be but the...
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A page turning, thought provoking story about an unlikely friendship between a boy and girl, thrown together in an incredible adventure. The changing Artic climate affects their lives in very different ways, and... More
Ele Fountain is a fantastic writer for young ( and older) Her two previous books - Boy 87 and Lost- were gripping reads , tackling complex and challenging issues in an accessible way for readers of 10 + As someone who... More
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