Imagine that a few years from now England is covered by water, and Norwich is an island.
Zoe, left behind in the confusion when her parents escaped, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and gets away to Eels Island. But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of danger too.
The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that is handled with warmth and humanity.
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(Orion Children's Books, 2 March 2000, 128 pages, ebook, #popsugarreadingchallenge 2019, a cli-fi' climate fiction book, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I didn't realise when I decided to read this book that it's children's fiction. Never mind, I read a lot of children's fiction so this wasn't an issue. Zoe is the POV character here. I really liked her. She's mature for her age, a bit feisty yet still very much a child underneath it all. As this is a children's book the danger and suspense is never quite as serious as it could have been. I'd love to read an adult version. Zos is resourceful and determined. I was a bit disappointed by the ending though. The ending is a happy but I felt the book veers to an obvious conclusion and I was hoping for something a bit more. I suppose the ending is suitable for children's fiction.
