R.M. Romero
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
10/14/2025, hardcover
SKU: 9780316578042
Set after the end of the world, this darkly fantastical climate change tale explores hope, memory, and what really makes a monster.
Climate change culminated in the Flood, an enormous wave that wiped out entire countries. Malka and her younger brother Ezra survived and now live with Dr. Jonas Hollman on the Island, the only piece of land left on Earth. Scavenging useful things from the shoreline under the watchful eye of the Island's sinister leader Mr. Gray, Malka and her family get by. Barely.
But an illness called the Sorrow is changing people into monsters when their memories of the Mainland grow too sad...and Ezra is the latest to get sick. Desperate not to lose her brother, Malka throws herself into helping "Uncle" Jonas with his research to find a cure.
Then her family's dismal lives are turned upside down by the mysterious Olivia, who crashes a plane on the beach. More people are out there, she says. The world isn't lost forever. To save Ezra and the other Islanders, Malka will have to uncover the secrets of her flooded world--and the lies even the people she loves have told her about the true nature of the Sorrow.
R.M. Romero tackles our fear and anxiety surrounding climate change and weaves it through with hope in this beautifully told adventure that will resonate with readers young and old.
Target age: 9 to 12
Reviews:
"Lyrical prose, darkly whimsical worldbuilding, and an intersectionally diverse cast of exquisitely rendered, emotionally complex characters complement Romero's inspiring plot, which advocates for mental health awareness as well as activism both social and environmental."-- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Romero ( A Warning About Swans) crafts a timely portrait of an extreme but resonant near future, laying out the stakes of climate doomerism while making an argument for action as an antidote, if not a cure, for the ills humans have inflicted on the planet."-- BCCB
"Readers will be rooting for Malka to save Ezra and the other Islanders in this dark and powerful middle grade fairy tale that is infused with hope and fantasy. A novel that handles heavy topics with a light touch; recommended for upper middle grade."-- School Library Journal
About the Author:
R.M. Romero is a critically acclaimed and international bestselling author of fairy tales for children and adults. She is the author of Tale of the Flying Forest, illustrated by E.K. Belsher; The Tear Collector; T he Dollmaker of Kraków and The Ghosts of Rose Hill, both Sydney Taylor Notable Books; A Warning About Swans; and Death 's Country. R.M. Romero lives in Miami Beach with her cat Robin Goodfellow.