Description
To Matthew, the village he lives in, his friends, their families and the jungle which surrounds it is the entire world. What's beyond that great green canopy with its host of dangerous animals is a mystery, but a mystery only he has any interest in solving. Then one day a stranger walks out of the forest, bringing with her questions and a deadly virus, and the village elders are forced to reveal their knowledge for the outside world.
When the first expedition to find a cure doesn't return, Matthew and his friends must journey into the unknown wilderness before the virus kills everyone he loves. But what he finds out there changes everything he thought he knew about his home.
A gripping, powerful speculative fiction novel for young adults, by a talented new author.
Review
Matthew and his friends live in a village surrounded by a jungle. It’s the only world they have ever known and as far as they know there is nothing else beyond it. But Matthew ventures further then anyone else and is always curious of what might be out there.
One day a stranger walks out of the forest. Where did she come from? Then a virus arrives in the village and the elders must finally explain what they have been hiding all these years…
With the illness spreading, an expedition is sent to bring back an antidote. When they don’t return, Matthew and some of the younger villagers must journey into the unknown to try to find them. What Matthew and his friends find will change their view of the world forever. But can they help the people they find, or will they end up being killed themselves?
This a wonderful novel that will enthrall readers from the first page. Matthew is an intriguing character, and his friendship with Adam and Alex is central to the story. The village is a world of simple living with almost no machinery or technology, and when they venture outside of it they find a world beyond their imagination, but in ruins. This is a book that will stay with you long after you put it down, and really makes you think. It would make a great classroom text for Year 8 and up.
Reviewed by Michelle
