Tag Nicola Penfold

When the Wild Calls

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When the Wild Calls
Nicola Penfold
Little Tiger

In this powerful sequel to Nicola Penfold’s Where the World Turns Wild we join Juniper and her brother Bear in a raw and incredibly thought-provoking dystopian adventure that sees them (against their father’s wishes), returning from their new home in Ennerdale where they live with their Dad, his new partner, Willow, and their baby, Fern, to the city. They feel driven by the thought that
their beloved grandmother, Annie-Rose, and friend, Etienne, are still in the city where disease is fast spreading.

Juniper is determined to rescue them and bring them to safety, and at the same time, bring hope to the ever more barren city, a place where there are signs that the iron-fisted control of ruthless leader, President Steel, is starting to weaken. However, the possibility of insurgence by a group called the Polecats has made the authorities more aggressive. Determined to fight for freedom, Etienne who has participated in the disease trial, finds himself in extreme peril and in need of rescue from more than the city itself.

The story unfolds through the increasingly anxious voices of Juniper and Etienne who speak in alternating chapters enabling readers to see what is happening both in the Wild and in the city alongside each other. Both show enormous courage and strength of character as they give their all to what they believe in, and fight for those they love.

The threat of disease, vaccine trials, restrictions on normal life and fear of strangers will remind many readers of our own recent pandemic though Nicola tells us that her story was written prior to COVID. It’s a story from which the author’s love of the natural world shines out as she describes vast landscapes and the minutiae thereof; a story that holds powerful messages about the vital importance of caring for nature. A wonderful read and a call on us all to play our part in helping our precious natural world.

Beyond the Frozen Horizon

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Beyond the Frozen Horizon
Nicola Penfold
Little Tiger

Prepare to be chilled to the bone and not just on account of the setting of this gripping story.
The setting being a hopeful 2030 when humans have taken huge leaps to avoid climate disaster, passing Universal Climate Laws and creating Wilderness Zones to save wildlife and absorb carbon. However, the recovery is still all too fragile. Rory, who is finding life at home and school difficult, accompanies her environmental geologist mother, to the Arctic Wilderness Zone to approve Greenlight’s plans to extract from there, the rare earth metals which will be used for ‘clean’ transport and technology. So she believes when she accepts this once in a lifetime opportunity for herself and Rory, who will be able to see those northern animals she’s dreamed of.

The local people in the town of Pyramiden, who live in harmony with the beautiful, harsh and dangerous environment are becoming increasingly suspicious of Greenlight’s activities and Rory struggles to try and fit in with them. However eventually after experiencing some supernatural happenings, she makes friends with one local boy, Mikkal, and together they strive to discover the truth about what is really happening and pass it on to Rory’s increasingly stressed mother before it’s too late. Perhaps in so doing they will be able to bring peace to the ghosts of the past.

This is such a powerful environmental story, full of atmosphere, a build up of tension you can almost feel, with some dangerous events and some totally credible characters. Most important, it’s a brilliant portrayal of corporate greed and ‘greenwashing’ that is surely a wake-up call to all of us: the precious environment must be protected and we must change our ways before it’s too late. Anyone who cares about the Arctic and the environment in general will want to read this, but then pass it on to those who have yet to wake up to the crisis.