Sparrow is a courier in Edinburgh, Scotland. Life is hard, as the city like everywhere else in the world, is consumed by the Reek, a cloud of pollution that kills anything in its path. Now to live, people must use tanks to breathe outside, or have special equipment to purify the air inside homes.

This ability to breathe has come from technology by the Zephyr Corporation, but at a price. Zephyr’s growth and powerful reach is everywhere in Sparrow’s life, and they seem to be getting richer every day.

Paying for air to breathe for herself, her little sister and grandfather, takes a large chunk of Sparrow’s earnings. She can’t see a way out of their poverty, after having to leave school early to work. She constantly urges her little sister to study hard and not find herself in the same situation.

When not working, Sparrow likes to visit a friend named Miriam who was once a rocket scientist. She is constantly tinkering with equipment, including Sparrow’s hover skates and i-pad that aids her work.

On a visit one day, she finds Miriam’s warehouse on fire, with her friend inside. From that moment, Sparrow’s life is in danger, as Miriam was working on a new project. Little does Sparrow know, she is the key to changing their polluted world – forever!

This Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction), novel for Dyslexic or Reluctant Readers is intriguing from the very first page. Young teenager Sparrow lives in a futuristic Earth, covered by pollution so bad, it is impossible to breathe in it. The special equipment is costly, driving an even bigger divide between rich and poor.

But just like in the movie ROBOTS (2005), someone is working on new ideas and equipment, in this case to help those who struggle to pay the fees just to breathe.

A savvy battle between rich and poor has an incredibly satisfying and thrilling ending.

Perfect for anyone, but particularly dyslexic readers as Barrington Stoke are experts in this genre.

Author – Alastair Chisholm

Illustrator – George Caltsoudas

Age – 9+

Dyslexic Read

(Reading Age 8 – Interest Age 9+)

Find more Alastair Chisholm titles here

(2024, Barrington Stoke, Action, Family, Conflict, Courage, Crime, Dystopian, Future, Greed, Poverty, Dyslexic Read, Dyslexia, Reluctant Readers, Cli-Fi, Clifi, Edinburgh, Scotland, City, Hover Skates, Breathing Masks, Courier)