The Whisper

by Emma Clayton

Overview

Listen -- can you hear it? The explosive sequel to THE ROAR! From a whisper...to a scream! Telepathic twins Mika and Ellie at last are reunited. But if they're ever to free the brainwashed, microchipped child soldiers, they must pretend to play along with the tyrant Mal Gorman's maniacal plan, even as they mind-read his every evil thought. Members of an elite squadron of mutants, the brother and sister have specialized skills that will enable them to steal the top-secret formula for an age-reversing drug developed by rebel scientists on the wild side of The Wall. Juiced by these potent pills, the cadaver-like Gorman foresees a future in which he'll be forever young - released from the machinery that now supports him. Unless, that is, Ellie and Mika have a master plan of their own: to bring the all-powerful Gorman to his knees, and face-to-face with his greatest fear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545393263
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Emma Clayton lives with her two children in Leamington Spa, England. THE WHISPER is the sequel to her debut novel THE ROAR.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for THE WHISPER

"A knockout science-fiction thriller...[A] well-developed plot, lots of new and creepy monsters, and tightly maintained tension keep readers entertained. Heavy themes of economic marginalization are leavened by gadgetry and action. Mixing science-fiction ideas with the tension of a thriller guarantees reader approval." -- KIRKUS

"The science fiction adventure will get your adrenaline pumping and is not to be missed. The dialogue is authentic and there is not a labored sentence or abrupt transition in sight. The trendy apocalyptic setting is engrossing; Mika and Ellie are courageous, relatable characters; and the plot raises moral and philosophical questions about society presented in a very sophisticated and appropriate way. Those clamoring for THE HUNGER GAMES or ENDER'S GAME but not yet ready for the violence will find this satisfying." -- VOYA

"For kids who like their science fiction moving at the speed of light and chock-full of evil villains, mutants, cyborgs, STAR WARS-type air battles, psychic communication, poison gas, and big bombs." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Well spiced with super science, fantastic mind powers, and large explosions..." -- BOOKLIST

From the Publisher

The army of children has been assembled. Mal Gorman’s master plan to take over the world is in motion. What Gorman fails to recognize is the power of the mutant children, his specially selected force, and their ability to strategize and work together toward what they hope will ultimately be a more peaceful existence for the northern and southern contingencies. Mika and Ellie lead the mutants from the inside while Kobi, an ally who saw into the government’s plan and withdrew before being chosen, serves as their contact on the outside within The Shadows, the bleakest realm where humans live like rats. The message of friendship and working together for a peaceful, fair existence for all is the underlying basis for the entire work. The action combined with the dual plot lines that converge in the end keep the reader anticipating the next step the children will take toward success. The book provides excitement to keep both gamers and fans of any reading genre engaged. Reviewer: Allison Fetters; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Allison Fetters

Telepathic twins Mika and Ellie are reunited after being captured by the evil Mal Gorman, a tyrant bent on creating a child army and staying forever young, in 2009's The Roar (Chicken House, 2009/VOYA August 2009). The Plague, a cataclysmic event that spurred the building of The Wall to separate the infected from the healthy, is revealed to be a ruse to separate the haves from the have-nots. Now captured, Mika and Ellie must rely on their telepathic abilities to overthrow Gorman, emancipate his brainwashed army, and hatch a plan to tear down The Wall. This science fiction adventure will get your adrenaline pumping and is not to be missed. Clayton writes for young people, and you can tell. The dialogue is authentic, and there is not a labored sentence or abrupt transition in sight. The trendy apocalyptic setting is engrossing; Mika and Ellie are courageous, relatable characters; and the plot raises moral and philosophical questions about society presented in a very sophisticated and appropriate way for junior high and high school students. Those clamoring for Hunger Games or Ender's Game but not yet ready for the violence will find this satisfying. Reviewer: Steven Koebel

VOYA - Steven Koebel

Mastery of the Pod Fighter video game must have seemed like quite an achievement to the children of this futuristic world—at first. Then, they discovered that they had been implanted with a control device and claimed by Mal Gorman and his Northern Government to act as pilots and gunners in a war against the South. The problem here is that Gorman seriously underestimated the mutant children, who are under the guidance of telepathic twins Mika and Ellie. The pair and their compatriots have no intention of fighting a war based on Gorman's self-interest. They are determined to thwart his plan, destroy the wall between the North and the South, save the implanted children, and reunite with their parents. It is no small plan. How can they manage it? Readers of Clayton's The Roar will be pleased to continue the saga. This is an engaging dystopian novel that ends on a hopeful note. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

Gr 5–8—Thousands of children are sleeping, ready to be activated as perfect fighter pilots and gunners, controlled by the completely unhinged Mal Gorman. Or are they? Taking place immediately after the events in The Roar (Scholastic, 2009), the story opens with the mutant Chosen Ones (Mika; his twin sister, Ellie; Audrey; and four other kids who remain entirely interchangeable) making their plans to stop Gorman (who has overdosed on Everlife-9 and is now a 13-year-old himself) and his equally scary counterpart, Raphael Mose, by taking control of… well, pretty much everything. Meanwhile Kobi (maybe the last free 13-year-old in London) and his father fall in with terrorists who will stop at nothing to blow up the towers where the rich people live. Amazingly, Mika and company, with the help of Kobi, Grace (Raphael's mutant daughter), and a few functional adults actually do exactly what they set out to do—save the world. And no one dies. Kids who like their science fiction moving at the speed of light and chock-full of evil villains, mutants, cyborgs, Star Wars-type air battles, psychic communication, poison gas, and big bombs will appreciate this one. Who needs character development anyway? Buy where the first book is popular.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

This sequel to The Roar (2009) finds twins Mika and Ellie and the other mutant children using their maturing superpower talents. In a knockout science-fiction thriller, they attack the Wall that divides the poor multitudes in the North from the relatively few rich in the South. Mika explains at one pont: "We hear things you can't hear… we call them The Roar and The Whisper. The Roar is the sound of emotion and The Whisper is the sound of thought." Set in the not-so-far future in the British Isles and picking up right after the finale of The Roar, this story demonstrates thought turned into action. It extends readers' comprehension of the twins' world, providing knowledge of the characters and their superpowers, revelations about the origin of the Wall and details of the landscape of the South in greater depth than in the first book. The third-person narration alternates among the viewpoints of Ellie, Mika and Mika's friend, Kobi, adding interest and suspense, while the well-developed plot, lots of new and creepy monsters and tightly maintained tension keep readers entertained. Heavy themes of economic marginalization are leavened by gadgetry and action. Mixing science-fiction ideas with the tension of a thriller guarantees reader approval. (Science fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews