March Book Madness! Day 21, Piers Torday’s The Last Wild 5/5

Book Details

In a world where animals no longer exist, twelve-year-old Kester Jaynes sometimes feels like he hardly exists either. Locked away in a home for troubled children, he’s told there’s something wrong with him. So when he meets a flock of talking pigeons and a bossy cockroach, Kester thinks he’s finally gone crazy.

But the animals have something to say. And they need him. The pigeons fly Kester to a wild place where the last creatures in the land have survived. A wise stag needs Kester’s help, and together they must embark on a great journey, joined along the way by an overenthusiastic wolf cub, a military-trained cockroach, a mouse with a ritual for everything, and a stubborn girl named Polly.

The animals saved Kester Jaynes. But can Kester save the animals?

Goodreads Overview

Ethereal, Wondrous, and With a Bright Confidence in the Future

Piers Torday wove a fantastic adventure set in a bleak, fearful future. What struck me most as I read through this story was how it challenged absolute despair. I think the decision to believe in a better future despite negativity and tyranny is a powerful thing.

The characters felt so real to me. Kester with his inability to speak, Polly with her wavering optimism, and all the animals on the brink of extinction had my full attention and support.

I recommend this book for fans of books like Colin Meloy‘s Wildwood Chronicles or Kate Milford‘s Greenglass House series.

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