Storm Child

An exciting, thought-provoking novel about globalization, climate change and finding your place in a changing world

Maya lives in a remote house on the cost, spending her time hanging out with her friends and surfing, while her mother bakes for the local café and her father works as a fisherman. They lead a simple life and though they often struggle to get by financially they are happy and secure. But Maya’s world is about to be upended. When her dad's fishing boat sinks in a ferocious storm and he ends up in hospital fighting for his life the famiy lose their only means of earning money and life takes on a perilous turn. Desperate for a change Maya's parents make the decision to start over by moving to an island in the Pacific – a place they are sure is paradise.

Life in their new home starts to take on an order and while Maya misses her friends she finds a new companion in a girl who lives close by. Maya’s parents, however, seem to be unable to make a true commitment to their new life and it takes Maya to point out the obvious – that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and making a change doesn't always make a difference.
As Maya begins to realise that paradise is not always what it seems, can she bring her family back home again?

Ele Fountain worked as an editor in children's publishing where she helped launch and nurture the careers of many prize-winning and bestselling authors. Ele's debut novel, Refugee 87, won four awards and was nominated for nine more, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She lives in Hampshire with her husband and two daughters.