BOOKS

THE LAST WHALE

From killers to conservationists, the story of three generations of the Chistensen family, their history as whale hunters and later their mission to save the great whales and our planet, by Carnegie-shortlisted author of Girl. Boy. Sea.

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'A powerful call to arms,' The Bookseller, Editor's Choice.

GIRL, BOY, SEA

‘Storm, shipwreck, survival. With echoes of Life of Pi and Lord of the Flies, Chris Vick's novel delves deep into the might and majesty of the ocean, the strength of an unlikely friendship between a British boy and a Berber girl and their will to survive against all the odds.

A young British boy called Bill narrowly survives the sinking of his yacht in a huge storm off the coast of Morocco. After many days alone at sea in a small boat he rescues another survivor, clinging for her life to a barrel. She is a girl called Aya, from the nomadic Berber people, whose migrant ship was destroyed by the same storm. Through endless days, a mere speck on the vast, empty sea – hungry, sunburned, and with no idea what will happen next – Aya recounts the tales of Shahrazad of the Arabian Nights, who told 1001 stories to quell the murderous desire of the Persian King. As hope of rescue begins to fade, from Aya's tales of magic, heroes, thieves, greedy kings and cruel sultans, they find the strength they need to stay alive.

When they land on a desert island they're confronted by a strange young man who is not what he seems... and back out on the waves once more in the dark deep, a shadow follows and waits...’ 

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2020

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 Winner, IRIS AWARDS (Europe)

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 Nominee SAKURA AWARDS (Japan)

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'Perfect for your 14 yr old,' ' A world of near death and the discovery of an unlikely friendship.'  

Jasbinder Bilan (The Guardian)

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'Moral dilemmas, spiritual guidance and human cruelty underpin this rollicking adventure of unlikely friends.'

    The Daily Mail.

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'A thrilling and a magical book. I take my hat off to Chris. It is an absolute gem.'

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    Sally Gardner.

'Vick writes vividly about the privations and terrors of their precarious existence and his attention to practical detail brings their hardships into stark relief.'

    5* review, Books for Keeps.

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'A storm, a shipwreck and a story of survival in a contemporary, timely adventure tinged with legend and fable.'

    Fiona Noble, The Bookseller.

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 ‘A powerful, starkly told novel, which holds its tension to the end, and although simple in essence, is profound as the depths of the sea.’

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    Minerva Reads

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KOOK

Fifteen-year old Sam has moved from the big city to the coast – stuck there with his mum and sister on the edge of nowhere. Then he meets beautiful but damaged surfer-girl Jade. Soon he’s in love with her, and with surfing itself. But Jade is driven by an obsession: finding and riding a legendary huge wave no one has ever ridden.

As the weeks wear on, their relationship barrels forward with the force of a deep-water wave – into a storm, to danger … and to heartbreak.

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‘A no-holds-barred love story set in the Cornish surfer scene’ ‘A  fast-paced read for older teens.’  ‘Kook is a gripping and heartbreaking story of love and obsession.’

The Guardian

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‘The setting is painfully beautiful, the stakes are incredibly high, the story is a roller-coaster of thrills, and the writing is first class.’

Lucy Van Smit, author of The Hurting

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‘Powerful, evocative, beautiful.’

Lucy Christopher, author of Stolen.

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 ‘A heart-pounding love story that grips like a riptide, and doesn’t let go…’

Nick Lake, author of In Darkness

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Kook published as Surf in The Netherlands and Cercando L’Onde in Italy.

STORMS

Every storm breaks in the end…
Jake never meant to fall for a girl that night. But plans change and soon Jake and Hannah are together, inseparable. That is, until Hannah gets an opportunity that will take her away, where Jake could never afford to follow.
Then the storm comes, bringing with it an extraordinary discovery, something that could turn Jake’s life around. But the gifts of the sea can be cursed, and the great wave that is forming may break Jake and Hannah’s world – and their hearts…