November 2012 Book of the Month In this thrilling and thought provoking adventure fantasy set in a world without water, the Cloud Hunters are vital for the community’s survival. Setting out on their missions, they track down the clouds and bring the water home. It’s a brave job and a hard way of life; Cloud Hunters are outsiders and their tribal markings keep them that way. Bored by his safe and comfortable life and longing for something more dramatic, Christien falls for his class mate Jenine, the daughter of Cloud Hunters and herself already a veteran of several missions. Persuading her to take him on a trip he soon finds he has a special role to play in a thrilling rescue mission which also teaches him to value differences.
A beautifully imagined adventure set in a world where islands float in the sky
Hunting the skies is not for the faint-hearted. In a world where water is scarce and deadly jellyfish swim through the sky, mollycoddled teenager Christien dreams of excitement and danger. When he meets the exotic and alluring Jenine and her family of Cloud Hunters, he becomes determined to fulfil that dream...
In a richly imaginative tale, perfect for both boys and girls as they launch themselves into the world of fiction as independent readers, Alex Shearer creates a Dahl-esque fantasy that roams through realms of magic, wonder and adventure.
Alex Shearer was born in 1949 in Wick, in the far north of Scotland and enjoyed writing from an early age. He went on to write several TV series including the 1990's sitcom The Two of Us, and numerous stage and radio plays.
More recently he has started writing for children. His Wilmot stories have been adapted for TV by Yorkshire television, and his children's novel, The Greatest Store in the World, was screened as a feature length TV film on Christmas Eve 1999 by the BBC.His recent novel 'The Speed of the Dark' was shortlisted for the 2002 Guardian Fiction Prize.
He lives in Somerset and is married with two grown-up children.
