LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Charged by super plotting, the infectious passion of young eco-campaigners across three generations, and a powerful environmental call to action, Chris Vick’s The Last Whale is a rousing, enchanting triumph.
In the present-day, Abi’s passion for eco-activism has got her into trouble, but she remains set on gathering environmental intel using a sophisticated quantum AI computer designed to collect and analyse ecological data, a machine her little sister names Moonlight. During a family holiday to her grandmother’s remote Norwegian island, Abi discovers her great-grandfather’s connection to - and rejection of - the whaling industry. Through his recordings and diaries, and with the help of Moonlight, Abi realises that whale song is more than mere song - the songs are maps. But, with Moonlight’s owners on her trail, time is running out.
With Abi’s quest bound up in the interconnectedness of life on earth, and the urgent need to protect and restore the web of life, it has profound power that’s passed down the generations when we meet her thirty years later, along with her daughter Tonje.
In Tonje’s story, mother and daughter are searching for whales. Though the sea is silent and the world’s ecosystems are failing, hope comes and Tonje takes up the mantle of her mother’s work.
Packed with action and a marvellous coming together of nature, technology and the inspirational dedication of young eco-activists, this will have huge appeal for readers who love all-out, character-driven adventure stories, and those who are into environmental themes.
Joanne Owen
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About
The Last Whale Synopsis
From killers to conservationists, Carnegie-shortlisted Chris Vick tells the story of three generations of the Kristensen family, their history as whale hunters and later their mission to save the great whales and our planet.
Summer, the Present Fiery and fierce, computer geek and eco-activist, Abi is holidaying with her grandmother on an island off the Norwegian coast. Having developed and befriended an AI device, Moonlight, she hopes to organise a global protest. On the island, she learns her great-grandfather rejected the family's whaling livelihood, instead creating the first whale song recording. Inspired by him, Abi and Moonlight translate the whales' songs and discover their stories. Whales are under threat, their numbers rapidly dwindling. Abi is determined to help.
Autumn, 30 years later The world's ecosystems are collapsing. There is no sight or sound of whales. Abi, her daughter, Tonje, and a now almost conscious Moonlight live on an isolated island in the Atlantic. They search for any sign of whales, but so far there is only silence.
Winter, the Future Tonje's search was not in vain. Despite climate crisis and the threat of extinction, there is always hope for the future, as nature and technology combine in a captivating, action-packed adventure with a powerful environmental call to arms.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781803281629 |
| Publication date: |
8th June 2023 |
| Author: |
Chris Vick |
| Publisher: |
Head of Zeus |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
301 pages |
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Press Reviews
Chris Vick Press Reviews
'A book about climate change that offers hope as well as despair, wrapped in an action-packed adventure. A powerful call to arms' The Bookseller
Praise for Girl. Boy. Sea:
'Perfect for your 14-year-old, taking them on a sea voyage that transports them to a world of near death and the discovery of an unlikely friendship' Jasbinder Bilan, Guardian
'A storm, a shipwreck and a story of survival in a contemporary, timely adventure tinged with legend and fable' Fiona Noble, Bookseller
'Moral dilemmas, spiritual guidance and human cruelty underpin this rollicking adventure of unlikely friends' Daily Mail
'This is a thrilling and a magical book. I take my hat off to Chris. It is an absolute gem' 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
Author
About Chris Vick
Chris Vick is a graduate of the Bath Spa MA in Writing for Young People. In between writing and teaching, Chris works for a whale and dolphin conservation charity and is a proud member of Authors4Oceans. He lives near Bath with his wife and daughter. Girl. Boy. Sea. was shortlisted for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
More About Chris Vick
