20% of the author royalties for this novel will be donated to the British Deaf Association.
CHARACTER ACROSTICS
Mortified
Angry
X auditory
Bullied
Eager
Addicted
Nervous
Innovative
Exasperated
Decoder
Astute
Vehicular
Intelligent
Dependent
Edgy
Resourceful
Indignant
Nurturing
Concerned
Awkward
Laughing
Unsettled
Manipulated
Amoral
Sinister
Heartless
Wicked
Omnipresent
Observer
Dangerous
BOOK BITE
An electrifying, fast paced eco thriller celebrating diversity and inclusivity.
BOOK HAIKU
Max feels angry and
frustrated as evil creeps
near to his island.
Soon he will discover he must never judge a book by its cover.
Whirring off the shore
thoughts go askew as malaise
swallows and consumes.
Nefarious plots
put an island’s people at
risk as tensions mount.
Can Max and his friends prevail
as they hunt the villain’s trail?
BLURB
SCRAGNESS ISLAND
On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life alters irrevocably after an accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is lying to them all for his own nefarious ends. They must find a way to stop him before all is lost.
BOOK TASTERS
The darkness gradually gave way to sickly light that ebbed and flowed like waves on the edges of my vision.”
“After all my complaining about other people not making the effort to communicate with me and assuming I was stupid, I’d gone and done exactly the same thing to a kid I saw in school every day.”
“…and the birds have disappeared. All of them, including the all pervading gulls. The island has gone silent.”
Extracts from War of the Wind
AUTHOR VIEW
‘War of the Wind is a thrilling eco-thriller for teens. Tension and suspense build as the plot unfolds and there are some genuinely scary moments. An exciting adventure story with an important message about accepting differences.’
Lindsay Littleson, Kelpies Prize winner and Carnegie-nominated author of children’s books including The Rewilders and Guardians of the Wild Unicorns.
‘War of the Wind had me on the edge of my seat, and I loved the disability rep, the realistic depictions of teen lives and challenges, and Max himself. ’
Sinead O’Hart, award-winning author of Skyborn, The Star-Spun Web and The Eye of the North.
BOOK BLOGGERS- SPOTLIGHT
This book is written in such a way that it kept me glued to the pages and the story becomes more and more exciting…Things turn darker and more sinister the further the story goes. “
https://thestrawberrypost.wordpress.com/2024/01/18/blog-tour-book-review-war-of-the-wind-by-victoria-williamson/
War of the Wind is a powerful, intense, action-packed eco-thriller that completely gripped me both with its edgy mystery, and its authentic portrayal of the lives of children with additional support needs who are central to solving the mystery.
https://bookcraic.blog/2022/09/23/review-war-of-the-wind-by-victoria-williamson/
“It is another well-written eco-thriller by Victoria Williamson, which leaves you thinking and highlights how technological initiatives can be misused and manipulated.”
https://anitaloughrey.blog/2024/01/18/blog-tour-war-of-the-wind/
GOOD NIGHT TO READ MINI REVIEW @GoodNightToRea1
This compelling teen eco thriller opens with a life changing accident which shapes the personality of the lead protagonist. Like Feast of Ashes it has environmental and dystopian elements which are integral to the plot. Add an atmospheric, isolated location, Manchurian Candidate vibes, scientific skulduggery, and intelligent teens seeking to foil corrupt government agents Alex Rider style and you get the idea.
Told through a first person narrative, Williamson skilfully builds tension as an island community is disrupted by strange happenings. Suddenly, a class of children with additional support needs is caught up in the centre of a nefarious plot.
The book’s structure consists of five phases interlaced with flashback sequences as life on the island starts to get steadily worse, building up to a dramatic denouement which makes the heart race.
War of the Wind encompasses the universal themes of abuse, bullying, cruelty, friendship, jealousy, denial, frustration, misconceptions and prejudice. It is also not teen adventure centric. Max’s father has a secret which is affecting his son and causing an internal struggle. Extra stress and pressure caused by the seismic changes in the adult characters’ lives are also magnified by what’s happening on the island.
While the story does make a grand effort to have complex, diverse and engaging characters, where it stumbles is Max’s continuous repetition of derogatory terms to describe his assisted learning classmates. Beanie and David are targets until he comprehends the damage of labels and slurs.
Max also continually makes excuses for bad behaviour until he is educated by the fiery Erin. While it is part of his personal journey towards adapting and understanding, it starts to jar after a while and detracts from the thriller element and empathetic nature of the story.
This book will appeal to a Middle Grade audience who enjoy high stakes danger, scientific theory and techno spy thrillers.
It includes a map at the start and a British sign language guide to educate and focus the reader. A useful glossary of Scottish words and phrases is also available at the back.
GOOD NIGHT TO READ REVIEW RATING- 3.5 CHOCOLATE LIBRARIES
FIVE FACTS ABOUT VICTORIA WILLIAMSON
- Victoria has worked closely with children with additional support needs.
- She is a patron of Reading with Char Char Literacy to promote early years phonics teaching in Malawi
- The original idea for War of the Wind came from Victoria’s mother
- Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her literature “where all children can see themselves reflected”
- She grew up in Kirkintilloch, North Glasgow and is inspired by wild, adventurous landscapes.
VICTORIA IN HER OWN WORDS
ON HER INSPIRATION
“Wind turbines had always seemed a little spooky to me, and reminded me of the TV show and film adaptations I’d seen of The Tripods and War of the Worlds when I was a child. Every time I saw wind turbines on the horizon after that, I thought about what they might be ‘whispering’ to us, and what those secrets signals might be used for.”
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTATION
“People often underestimate what children with various disabilities and additional support needs are capable of doing, and assume that because they need help in one or more areas, then they must need help with everything, or are limited in terms of what they can achieve. I wanted to give the four main characters in this story a chance to show exactly what they could do.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Title: War of the Wind
- Author: Victoria Williamson
- Publisher: Neem Tree Press
- ISBN: 9781911107507
- Publication date: September 2022
- Length: 256 pp
- Genre: Eco Thriller
- Themes: Additional Support Needs, Ecosystems, Manipulation, The Media, Mobile Phones, Psychology, Renewable Energy, Trauma, Wind Farms
- Age group: 11+
ACCOLADES
Nominated for The Yoto Carnegies Medal for Writing 2024
Winner of the YA-ldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries’ Book Award 2023
Shortlisted for the Leeds Book Awards 2023
Longlisted for the RED Book Awards 2023
Longlisted for the South Coast Schools ABA Book Awards 2023
BookTrust Book of the Month for February 2022
A Financial Times Best YA Books of the Year 2022
The Scottish Book Trust Book of the Month for November 2022
Good Night To Read- A School Librarian's Book Blog 