Melt
Published on 3. June 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-78269-288-1 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
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 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Target group
Children/juvenile
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 9 to 11 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
214 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78269-288-1 (9781782692881)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Ele Fountain worked as an editor in children's publishing where she helped launch and nurture the careers of many prize-winning and bestselling authors. Ele's debut novel, Boy 87, won four awards and was nominated for nine more, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She lives in Hampshire with her husband and two daughters.