The Whisper

Clayton, Emma. The Whisper.

This sequel to The Roar(2009) starts with an uprising of the implanted children, caused by Ellie and Mika being reunited. These children have been trained by the evil Gorman, a wizened character kept alive by drugs, to be his army, but Mika and a team of mutant children are trying to use the army for their own purpose, which is to overthrow Gorman. When the people of the North find out that there wasn't an animal plague that devastated the South and made it inhabitable, but that the people in the South wanted luxurious lifestyles for themselves and so imprisoned those who were less well-to-do in cramped housing in the North. When Mika and Ellie are sent by Gorman to spy on his evil counterpart, Raphael Mose, they decide to try to bargain with him, to no avail. There is great agitation in the North to blast down the wall and let the people from the North take over the South, but Mika realizes that humans are causing great damage to the planet, and doesn't think that the wall should go down until people are more conscientious about conservation. With the help of Helen, one of the richest women in the South, Gorman's assistant, and Mose's daughter, Mika and his army of mutants fight for a situation that will be equitable for all, but safe for the environment.

Strengths: This has lots of action, and a good but not overly preachy message. I liked Helen's character a lot, and the struggle Mika has to do what is right is well done. The book design is quite nice. The first book in this series has been a slow but steady circulator for students who enjoy dystopian science fiction.

Weaknesses: It has been so long since I had read the first book that I was confused a bit, but after I warmed up, I enjoyed it.

End of the Year Progress Report:The book fair is all done but the paperwork (and hauling out to the cafeteria to await pickup!) and the good news is that sales were high enough that we get cash profit. Book profit is okay, but since there are so few hardcover books, it's better to have the extra cash.

Still 350 overdue books, which makes me hyperventilate. Will start calling homes again. Sigh.

Have all of the nonfiction inventoried, with fairly few missing items. Will start shelf reading fiction, which desperately needs to be done. I straightened two shelves of "F ST" yesterday where not one book was in the right place. It's amazing that we can ever find anything.

And that book about the top basketball starts of 1993? And the "Young and Black in America" from 1970? Also not useful for biography reports. Plus it smelled funky.

I don't even count the days left. There are always, always too few!