First published 2022
Cassie Cotton stands apart from her peers at school. She possesses an unusual ability to detect sounds that escape others' notice. These sounds convince her that Earth itself cries out in pain from human damage and climate destruction. Her classmate Fitz finds her difference captivating rather than strange. When Cassie shares her beliefs about what she hears, her schoolmates respond with cruelty and ridicule. The bullying drives her to vanish without warning. Fitz refuses to abandon her. He launches his own search, though he lacks any clues about her whereabouts or destination. Time works against him as he races to locate Cassie before something terrible happens. The story examines how isolation deepens when others reject what we know to be true about our damaged world.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, young-adult, environmental-science, activism
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider-protagonist
136 pages · Paperback · Barrington Stoke