Ele Fountain is fantastic at combining environmental themes with common issues and family life, and Wild is no exception to this.

Here we see a mother and son trying to reconnect and heal following the death of Jack's dad and a work trip through the South American rainforest seems like the change of scenery needed to help them rebuild their relationship and try to find a way to move forwards.

The usual tensions of growing up and pushing back are amplified by both their grief and the extra precautions needed in the rainforest, and their adventure soon takes a dangerous turn as they discover illegal loggers.

The rainforest is described brilliantly, both its wonder and beauty and its hidden dangers, and it was a really thrilling journey through it. The threat of the loggers combined with the unforgiving landscape had me on the edge of my seat.

A gripping and original look at grief, growing up, family and climate issues perfect for Upper MG and young teen readers.

This book would be perfect for fans of The Explorer by Katherine Rundell and Lost on Gibbon Island by Jess Butterworth.
Its short chapters make it easy to put down (if you can!) and it deals sensitively with the issues that could be spaced by many children.
Jack is whisked off to the rainforest on a work trip with his mum as his behaviour spirals and he deals with losing his dad. The further they trek, the more he feels like his mum is a different person to the one he thought he knew. When he is bitten by a bullet ant and his mum goes on without him, he wonders if he’s about to lose the only family he has left.

Over the last few years Ele Fountain has written an incredible selection of stories for the 11-15 group- often a neglected age; each story has a unique story to tell and taps into something that is part of contemporary culture or a key issue. This new book is no exception and tells the story of Jack; in recent times his father has died and he finds himself mixed up with a group of peers who want him to join them on a path of breaking rules and laws. An unexpected Christmas trip with his mum takes Jack to South America and the rainforest. Jack’s mum is an anthropologist. He’s angry about the death of his father and hasn’t been able to connect with his mum. The story takes Jack, his mum - Sophia- and two friends Maria and Pakoyai on an adventure to find a group of indigenous people who are being threatened by illegal forest loggers. Jack’s inner anger and confusion leads to some potentially dangerous outcomes and when his mum disappears he has to find the calm and love to search and rescue her. The title Wild can be seen in relation to Jack’s emotional state and the environment into which he enters.
This is a great story for KS3 readers - pulling the reader in from the start and full heart for the trials and tribulations that Jack gies through and his journey to understand more about himself and life. Ele Fountain is a consummate storyteller and this book joins the list of growing of great books