Boonie takes place in a world that has been ravaged and turned into desert, where the seas have been poisoned and the land is ruled by anonymous flying Silver Men. In this strange and cruel landscape lives a young boy named JD, who has no idea how unique he is until his mother disappears and his father is killed. He wanders the Old Road and comes across an old man whose mouth has been sewn shut and who ends up teaching him the most important thing of all – the secret of how to find water. This wisdom may have just saved his life, but in order to search for his mother, JD must go to the city, where all children are enslaved. Boys of a certain age are trapped into the pits, forced to scrape for water until they die from exhaustion.

This fast-paced dystopian novel sucks you in from the get-go and JD is a character who is plucky and full of heart. The thrilling conclusion comes as quite a surprise and leads to the possibility of a sequel. Boonie is well worth delving into, and once you start it’s hard to stop.

Angela Crocombe