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And Now We Run
Book Review
It was filled with action, a bit like an action machine pumping out new events every few seconds!
One chapter is from one perspective and then the other is from another, especially the two main characters Jelly and Lincoln. The title of a chapter names the character’s perspective – a few chapters are from a red kite’s perspective. Like the ones we can see at home which make small adjustments with their tail to stay on track in the air.
Mum failed a challenge to keep up with my reading of this book (loser!) even though she wanted to get to the end to find out whether the characters would be safe.
It is quite hard to tell when it is set. It isn’t in the past, but it isn’t that far in the future but it has exaggerated global warming so it isn’t like present times either.
It was filled with action, a bit like an action machine pumping out new events every few seconds. It wasn’t quite believable because after the disaster the water would not have been a continuous flow, or at least the effect of the rain would not have been quite as dramatic as displayed in the book. The water would go down as it spreads out.
Also, the teachers would not have acted like that. In real life children would not go missing like they did in the book because of the current register setup – they check the names in the morning and in the afternoon. They don’t only do a head count and this lack of realism spoilt it for me.
A funny bit is when it says about a teacher “the Everett is known to be a very angry creature, often found yelling at Year Sevens before breakfast”. (In a David Attenborough accent).
I think the teachers will almost faint every time they think about this disastrous school trip!
Read this if you’re feeling a bit anxious about a school trip – it will absolutely definitely probably not cure your nerves!
About the Book
We’re running now, along the spine of the world, and behind us, just below, half the land is sliding away to nowhere.
Jelly is NOT looking forward to the first school trip at her new school, since her best friend ditched her and is determined to make Jelly miserable.
Lincoln however can’t wait – he used to visit the hills with his brothers and he’s excited to be back.
But what neither of them expected was for the extreme weather to cause the reservoirs to burst, and for the area to be flooded.
Or to be left behind when the rest of their group is evacuated.
As rain pours down and the water rises, Jelly and Lincoln have to put aside their fears to outrun the storm.
Author
Nicola Penfold
Nicola Penfold is a British children’s author whose stories often explore the natural world through adventurous, eco-themed fiction for young readers. She studied English at St John's College, Cambridge (followed by a Computing Science master’s at Imperial College London), before directing her career toward writing — her debut novel Where the World Turns Wild was published in 2020.
Reviewer Profile
Ben, 9
- Reviews: 32
- Likes: animals, reading and pizza
- Dislikes: vegetable curry and my brother's boring YouTube train clips
- Superpower: Being able to grow things at my command and commanding all the animals in the world, Mwahahahaha!
- Favourite Book: The Meerkats of Summer Farm by Jayne Collier
- Favourite Film: Johnny English Strikes Again
- Favourite Song: Eins, Zwei, Drei by Look Mum No Computer
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