The Boy with the Tiger's Heart

Description

The call of the wild is powerfully realised in this thrillingly evocative modern day fable A girl raised in the wild, a desperate race for freedom and a boy with a fiercely guarded secret... When Nona's guardian kills himself, she is immediately suspected of murdering him. In a world where nature and darkness are feared, where wild animals are held captive and cities are illuminated by permanent light, who will believe her innocence? Nona must flee with her only friend - a bear who is strangely human. In their desperate attempt to escape capture, Nona and her bear encounter two strange boys, Caius and Jay. Together, the four of them will hide, and fight, and make the deadliest of enemies in their desperate race to a forbidden place called The Edge - where nature is unrestrained, where there is light and shade, forest and mountain, and where there are no shackles or boundaries. A poetic, haunting and unforgettable modern fable about nature, society, and what it is that makes us human.

Linda Coggin taught horse riding in the West Indies before studying mime in Paris and Czechoslovakia. Forming a small theatre company they played the fringe theatres and the alternative cabaret circuits of Europe. She appeared in Ken Russell's film Gothic as the mechanical doll. She worked as an actor and for several years and presented The Home Show for Thames Television.Linda writes and performs her own poetry; her poetry collection titled DOG DAYS has been published. She lives in Wiltshire with her family and numerous animals. Follow Linda at www.lindacogsblog.blogspot.co.uk

Nature, society and what it means to be human are explored in this unusual, accomplished debut -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller * This strange and beautiful debut from Linda Coggin weaves both together in a haunting, hopeful story... Filled with interesting characters ... and set in a strange, phantasmagorical landscape, this is an intriguing story for 9-12 year olds who love animal stories. With elements of fantasy and science fiction woven through the narrative however, this should attract a host of readers. * We Love This Book * Written, unusually, in the present tense, this dystopian fable expresses an idea about the way the relationship between nature and society could develop. * Booktrust *