War of the Wind

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Author(s)

Victoria Williamson

Publisher Name

Neem Tree Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

10+

Release Date

April 23, 2024

ISBN13

978-1915584618

ISBN10 or ASIN

A Financial Times Book of the Year

Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Prize in 2023

An award-winning mystery novel that explores unlikely friendships as a group of children with disabilities find themselves at the heart of an eco-crime.

On a remote Scottish island, 14-year-old Max’s life is changed forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Now, he has to navigate a new silent world alone—even his parents don’t understand that wearing a hearing aid doesn’t mean he can actually hear them, and he’s placed in a special educational needs class surrounded by kids he once picked on.

When people start acting strangely and Max’s hearing aid picks up odd sounds from a new wind farm off the coast, he suspects a sinister scientist is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. Could being different be an advantage? Max enlists the help of his classmates to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control...

Victoria Williamson is donating 20% of her author royalties to The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC).

Editor review

1 review

A good middle-grade mystery

September 02, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

War of the Wind was listed as a YA mystery, the main character is 14, however I would say it is definitely more middle grade than anything. It's also a great diversity advocacy read!

On an island in Scotland, a small group of kids are facing off against a power far greater than themselves, combining mystery and adventure.
Each character in this story is struggling with their own challenges, ranging from deafness to down syndrome and other physical disabilities, but they really shine when they learn to lean on one another and tackle the menace that is ruining their families. War of the Wind addresses special needs from a flipped narrative broadening the readers compassion and understanding alongside the main character's.

The plot is a good one. There is a lot of learning about oneself and others, as well as a decent mystery. Strange little things happen on the island, some nearly imperceptible. It was fun trying to figure out why things were happening a certain way and how things were being done.
However, the ending is what did me in. My family and I have this thing with ends that wrap up too quickly, we call them 'Netflix Endings' (watch a Netflix original and you'll see why). While War of the Wind did wrap up nicely for the most part, there was just no big battle scene. Max and his friends were able to save the day with little to no "fan fare."
The lead scientist does escape, I'm interested to know if he will resurface in another Williamson novel.

There is little to no romance in War of the Wind, but there is mention of animal death and questionable parenting. There is also ablism type speech.

If you like scientific experiments, embracing differences, daring adventures, and wonderful characters, this book is a must read!!