War of the Wind

A Financial Times Book of the Year

Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Prize in 2023 

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

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).

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning children's author and primary school teacher from Scotland. Her books have been recognized by numerous prizes in the UK, winning the Glasgow School Libraries' YA-ldie Prize in 2023 and the Bolton Children's Fiction Award in 2020/2021, with shortlisted places in the James Reckitt Hull Children's Book Award in 2021, the Trinity Schools Book Award in 2021, The Week Junior Book Prize in 2023, and regional library awards in Falkirk and Leeds in 2023.

"Fourteen-year-old Max lost his hearing because of a boating accident and has spent two years trying to adjust. (...) Sign language is represented using capital letters, and effectively highlights the daily communication barriers Max faces. Characters default to white, and a helpful glossary of Scottish phrases is included. VERDICT: An interesting book that shows character growth and some unexpected twists; recommended for fans of Carl Hiaasen or Gordon Korman."—School Library Journal

"This contemporary techno-thriller is absorbing, tautly written, and frighteningly realistic... An intriguing mystery combined with an emotional story of challenges and successes"—Kirkus Reviews

"a gripping eco-adventure"—Financial Times

"Teens with additional needs star in this eco thriller"—iNews

"thrilling and a real page turner"—Rebecca Mansell, CEO of the British Deaf Association

"A page-turning adventure with a great cast of characters, powerful food for thought around disability language and preconceptions, plus a timely environmental theme.”—BookTrust