Oculum Echo: (The Children of Oculum)

The explosions come in the night. Miranda1, Mannfred, Grannie, and the one thousand children of Oculum must flee their farm, chased by the UnRuly and their bombs. Just as they begin their journey through the wasteland and towards the safety of the green valley, Echo1 wakes from an eighty-three-year sleep and is given a mission to find the four domes of the children of Oculum, and to find the First One, whatever the cost. On the run from the UnRuly and their stolen weapons, the children endure plague and Black Rain. Yet, there is a whisper of hope. William1 and Jonatan Briar, two of the literate, ride to the northern sea to read a rare book, a book that will illuminate the secret to their survival. Echo1 searches the wasteland for life and faces a choice: who must be protected in this new world? And what must be destroyed?

About the Author :
Philippa Dowding's most recent book, Firefly, won the 2021 Governor General's Award for Young People's Literature, and her previous book, Oculum, was a finalist for the Diamond Willow Award and the OLA's Silver Birch Award. She lived on a glacier for one summer in university, and was inspired to write environmental dystopia / cli-fi when she visited it thirty years later and was shocked by how much it had melted. Dowding lives in Toronto, ON.

Review :
"Although I haven't read Oculum, the book before this one, it didn't take long for me to become invested in the storyline. Each character's experiences are so wildly different and inspirational in their own ways that it makes for quite a fun read!... I would recommend Oculum Echo to any sci-fi loving kid that enjoys adventures."-- "CanLit for Little Canadians" "A very well-written and an imaginative description of a future world struggling to survive, the story ends on a positive note and a hint, at least to this reader, there could be more to come. This timely book should appeal to both boys and girls in search of adventure."-- "CM Reviews" "The setting is vivid and the main characters are compelling and their drive towards their goals of protecting the children of their world from an impending war. The story, written from multiple perspectives is rich and descriptive language and multiple twists help to propel the plot forward..."-- "The International Educator blog" "With unmatched compassion for those he wishes to save, Echo1 becomes an endearing character you surely will admire...Each character arc takes marvelous turns and set up a book 3...Readers are rewarded with an unpredictable plot that moves along swiftly. The pair of books would make a perfect gift for the science fiction loving kid in our present world."-- "Always in the Middle blog"