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An ARC copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
MY REVIEW:
A fantastic middle grade / young adult read that supports stories about children with disabilities and highlights their strengths as individuals as well as working together. Combining mystery and adventure, a small groups of kids on an island in Scotland are facing off against a power far greater than themselves. When the new wind turbines arrived on the island with the promise of Wi-Fi and expanded connection to the rest of the world, everyone was quick to accept the gifts of new smart phones and go along with the project. But the kids soon notice that people are not acting normal. Aggression is increasing, animals are dying and the wind turbines must be the culprit.
Each character in this story is struggling with their own challenges – ranging from deafness to down syndrome and other physical disabilities – but they really shine when they learn to lean on one another and tackle the menace that is ruining their families.
I loved this book a lot and really enjoyed Max’s development over the course of the story. He is really struggling with his new found deafness and finding ways to interact with his parents and the change in friends after his old friends seemingly stopped liking him. This anger blinds him for a long time and makes it more difficult for him to establish friendships with his new classmates. But he quickly realizes how things are changing and that he has to do something to help everyone, or else it will all be lost forever.
Main Character Overviews:
Max is 14 and a few years ago went from being a normal boy to having a terrible boating accident that damaged his skull and left him with no ability to hear. Struggling with these changes, learning sign language so he can communicate with those around him, he’s having a hard time finding himself.
Erin is 14 and in the special class with Max. She was born deaf and is very comfortable with her condition, even if she does have to deal with a lot of teasing from the other kids in school.
Beanie is a girl with down syndrome and in the classes with Max and Erin. She is so sweet and supportive of her friends, always trying to help and be there for them when they’re struggling. She is one of my favorite characters in this entire story.
Available April 23, 2024:
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AN ADVENTUROUS ECO-THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR VICTORIA WILLIAMSON
On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Williamson
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
Adventures in Literature 
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