Synopsis
On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…
My Review
In a recent boating accident 14 year old Max lost his hearing and since then he’s struggled to adapt to his new way of life. But then the wind turbines arrive in town, together with scientist Doctor Ashwood and Max starts to notice changes in the way the villagers are acting. Can Max work out how the wind turbines and the change in the village are connected.
This was such a quick and easy read. The story is quite short coming in at just under 240 pages but I felt like no part of the story was left unresolved.
I found the storyline to be interesting, intriguing and unique. I don’t think I’ve come across anything similar before. The story is told from the perspective of 14 year old Max who has recently lost his hearing. As a reader we follow Max’s journey from being a person who can hear to then that ability being taken away from him and changing his life forever. What comes across clearly is that Max is a typical 14 year old teenager but that he’s struggling with his disability, coming to terms with it and refuses to wear his hearing aid. Not only has losing his hearing changed his life but it’s also changed the way people treat him, has put a strain on his school work and his relationship with his family. Although Max may have lost his hearing and has to change the way he communicates it does make him more perceptive especially to the things around him. So when the new wind turbines arrive in town Max like everyone else thinks it’s a brilliant idea especially when everyone is told that they will be receiving free mobile phones. However when the turbines do arrive there are strings attached which the villagers don’t realise but Max does. He starts to notice changes in the way the villagers interact with each other, changes in the wildlife and starts to question the presence of soldiers and Doctor Ashwood. It’s only when Max and his friends start to look into the changes that they realise it’s actually the wind turbines that are causing the issues.
What I liked about the book was that it included themes of not only disability, environmentalism but also technology. The introduction of the mobile phones appears a good idea but then the villagers become addicted to them whereas Max doesn’t use his because it doesn’t have a specific app that will help him to communicate. At the same time the wind turbines appear to be giving off a certain wave that is influencing people. Max however appears to be immune to what’s happening around him. One of the things I thought was really interesting is when Max had a bit of a light bulb moment when he realised that his friends weren’t treating him differently because of his disability but it was Max that had distanced himself from his friends because he was worried they would treat him differently.
Author Bio
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
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