The Song That Sings Us

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Gŵyr Harlon sut i warchod ei theulu iau, yr efeilliaid Ash a Xeno, sy'n medru cysylltu ag anifeiliaid. Pan ymosodir ar eu cartref mynyddig, caiff Xeno ei herwgipio a gwahanir Harlon ac Ash. Dyma antur amgylcheddol beryglus a chyffrous lle mae pawb yn gorfod teithio ar eu pennau eu hunain cyn canfod ei gilydd a chyn cyflawni addewid cyfrinachol i'w mam.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

Harlon knows to protect her younger siblings, twins Ash and Xeno, and their outlawed power of communicating with animals. When the sinister Automators attack their mountain home, Xeno is kidnapped and Harlon and Ash are separated. A thrilling, dangerous environmental adventure where all must journey alone to to find each other and fulfil a mysterious promise made to their mother.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Nicola Davies has a high profile and impressive record as a children’s author in picture books as well as MG and YA fiction. She is a Book Trust writer in residence and a regular at the Hay Festival. Also a zoologist, Nicola was one of the original presenters of the BBC children’s wildlife programme The Really Wild Show. She has been shortlisted for the Branford Boase and the Blue Peter Book Awards and has published with Walker and Penguin Random House among others. Nicola lives in West Wales.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

“Being is what matters”, explains Ash, one of the three young protagonist siblings near the final battle in this extraordinary dystopian novel for young people. The whole concept of the book centres around a conflict, not necessarily a “good vs evil” concept, for everyone is entitled to their own opinions on the future of the natural world and the world which man creates. The conflict is, however, a very topical one in these days of climate change, pandemics and the precarious position of animals, plants and marine life – where the simple fact of “being” is a challenge. Variously described by a number of adult endorsements in the opening pages of text as “a brave bold epic story”, “a captivating eco fable” and “eco-fiction,thriller, fantasy ...” this is certainly a challenging read for the teenage market. Its carefully crafted (and complicated) encounters between the sinister Automators, hell-bent on destroying the world as we know it, and the Listeners, equally determined to protect everything they hold dear, make this thriller quite a page turner. It would have been helpful, I feel, to have included either a dramatis personae guide, or an appendix to help the reader keep track of the numerous characters – and to recall more easily which side they were on! I found this quite a challenge, myself, particularly as some characters are referred to by more than one name – and, of course, some are humans (with animal characteristics) and vice versa. It must also be pointed that the novel is a long read (400 pages), and certainly demands the reader’s attention. It is multi-faceted, with reminders of a whole range of genres, from Dr Who to Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, and from CS Lewis’s The Last Battle to Kipling’s Jungle Book , but it also has its own voice. This is the impassioned voice of the author Nicola Davies, sharing the song that sings, together with its own visual impact provided by an evocative cover illustration, an imaginatively designed map (Is this a Wales of the future?) and several apposite chapter headings provided by illustrator Jackie Morris. Certainly, this novel portrays an epic journey, developing a message we may all need to hear: When animals speak, it’s time humans listened.