j.s. kiss

*Silver medal winner in the 'Middle Grades Fiction' category of the Nautilus Book Awards 2015*

Astie has always been different. Her 12th birthday is looming and she still has not decided on her thesis. All the Learners at the Hub picked theirs years ago. If it wasn't for her cousin, Jakob, life would be unbearable on Elemental Island. On the verge of being diagnosed with Social Syndrome, she stumbles upon Danny who has landed in a forbidden flight machine. To protect him, Astie persuades Jakob to tamper with the Overseer's memory. On the run from the Monitors together, Astie calls on her unique qualities to forge a friendship with the stranger and discover his reason for coming to the island. What she finds will shake the foundations of the place she calls home.

Set on a secretive island utopia where science and logic rule, this intriguing novel explores and celebrates differences in people from an alternative perspective. It is engaging reading for children aged 8-13.