ACROSS THE RISEN SEA BY BREN MACDIBBLE

Neoma and her best friend Jag live in a quiet village in a time where the sea has risen so much that communities perch on whatever high ground they can find. Their peaceful lives, filled with fishing, scavenging and trading with nearby settlements is shattered one day when three strangers from The Valley of the Sun arrive and erect some “teknology” that is forced upon them with no explanation.

The visit from the intruders sets off a chain of events that threatens everything Neoma and her fellow villagers have come to value. Their freedom and living “gently” in the world will never be the same. Neoma is forced to travel further than she has ever sailed across the risen sea to search for answers and to free her best friend from a debt he never should have been burdened with. Along the way she meets man eating crocodiles, huge sharks, a ruthless pirate and encounters for the first time the monolithic Valley of the Sun.

Bren MacDibble crates a world into which humankind has managed to adapt. But has human nature changed as much? Fear, greed and power struggles still exist but can there be a new way of dealing with such things? Neoma’s voice and her down-to-earth personality pull you into her world and the reader becomes totally immersed in the struggles she must overcome.

This book sits alongside How to Bee with its energy and unfailing optimism. MacDibble unfailingly creates another possible future for the world we live in and by doing so, makes us realise what we have and should hold onto.

For Ages: 9+ years

Number of Pages: 272 paperback.

Published: August 2020

Themes: Courage, friendship and resilience.

Rating: 4/5