A dyslexic anti-hero must stand up against the oppressive forces of the Motherland in Sally Gardner’s chilling new novel, which reimagines 1950s Britain as a brutal totalitarian regime determined to beat its enemies in the race to the moon. Standish Treadwell lives with his family in a zoned ghetto of London. Battling dyslexia and abject poverty, the future seems to hold little for him. But when his best friend Hector is suddenly taken away, Standish realises that it is up to him, his grandfather and a small band of rebels to confront and defeat the Motherland. Suddenly, an unlikely hero is born… This violent, original and powerful story is at once shocking and deeply moving: a book you will never forget.

“Dazzling, chilling, breathtaking. A perfect book.” Meg Rosoff

“This heart-breaking, brilliantly written novel is the most original publication for years.” Amanda Craig, The Times

“The outstanding teenage novel of the autumn, arresting and original and written in a singular voice.” Lorna Bradbury, The Telegraph