Wrath

By Author / Illustrator

Marcus Sedgwick, Paul Blow

Genre

Environment

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Barrington Stoke Ltd

ISBN

9781800900899

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-03-2022

Synopsis

From the multi-award-winning author of Midwinterblood and The Ghosts of Heaven comes a suspenseful, gripping tale about teen life and relationships, exploring our wavering connection to the world around us.

WRATH: extreme anger or rage

Cassie Cotton has always been unusual, a bit different - but this only makes her more intriguing to her classmate Fitz. Cassie can hear a noise that most people don't notice or recognise, and she believes it's a sound that shows the Earth is in distress, damaged by human activity that is causing climate change. When this belief leads to her being ridiculed and bullied at school, Cassie disappears. Fitz is determined to find her, but he has no idea where to start looking, or if he'll be in time to help her...

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Reviews

Having thoroughly enjoyed Floodland, I was excited to read Sedgewick’s latest offering from publisher Barrington Stoke, whose books I am often recommending to reluctant or struggling readers. Wrath did not disappoint; I was hooked from the first paragraph and finished the book in one sitting.

When Cassie goes missing after telling Fitz about the strange noise she can hear all around her, Fitz is desperate to find out what has happened to his friend. Narrated by Fritz in a series of flashbacks, we find out about Cassie's turbulent home life, tensions between their bandmates and the mysterious society she was planning to meet.

Fitz is a great protagonist and his relationships with his father and Cassie were well written and felt genuine. It was great to see him develop from awkward teen who never knows what to say to hero in the exhilarating finale. Part climate fiction, part mystery, there is plenty in the story to keep readers engaged.

I particularly liked that it brings issues of family relationships and mental health during the pandemic to the fore, exploring the characters feelings both during and post lockdown, a great way to start conversations with younger readers about issues they may have faced or still be dealing with.

136 pages / Reviewed by N Jenkins, school librarian