Changes

|title=After the Snow

|author=SD Crockett

|borrow=Yes

|isbn=978-0230759350

|pages=320

|publisher=Macmillan Children's Books

|date=February 2012

|website=

|video=

|summary=In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, 15 year old Willo must move away from the mountain on which he grew up to search for his missing family. This journey will destroy everything he's believed about his past. He soon comes to realise that the trick is to prevent it from destroying him.

}}

On a near future Earth, Willo lives with his family in an isolated community without technology. His parents remember a time when there were machines but all this has changed. Now there's only enough petrol for the sinister government trucks. One day Willo finds himself totally alone, his parents missing, presumed taken. Armed with his father's cryptic sayings and his only friend, (a dog's skull that speaks through his imagination) Willo leaves all that's familiar in order to find his loved ones. The unknown is a ruthless place filled with Stealers and starvation but there's escape from what he needs to do.

This book has been cleverly written. Some of the twists are well-heralded but the main one surprised me, turning the whole story on its head and setting it off in a different direction. The characters are all sketchily drawn but this story is told by a 15 year old teenager fighting for survival. As every mother of sons knows (and SD Crockett is included in this group), even when not fighting for survival, lads of this age aren't known for describing (or noticing) nuances of personality or emotion. Willo's voice is therefore filled with authenticity.

The age range that ''After the Snow'' is recommended for is 12-years-and-upwards. The relatively easy language and the fact that Macmillan uses their children's publishing arm to release the book may encourage some to offer it to younger readers. If this idea tempts you, it may be useful to note that there is one use of the 'f' word and that you may need to explain the concept of prostitution to your young reader. (There are no graphic sex scenes, but prostitution is mentioned in connection with a character and understanding it is important to the plot at one stage.)

If you've enjoyed this, then I would heartily recommend [[The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne]]. If you would like to try another book in a child's voice in a more quirky vein [[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon]] is would be worth your time.

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[[Category:Science Fiction]]