The Whisper by Emma Clayton
309 p. Chicken House/ Scholastic Inc., February, 2012. 978-0-545-31772-6. (Chosen to review for InfoLink/NJ)
Telepathic twins, Ellie and Mika, reunited at the end of The Roar are back in this sequel, which picks up immediately after The Roar left off. The evil Mal Gorman thinks he has control over them, as well as six known as ”the chosen,” and the army of children he has placed in induced comas, awaiting awakening. He intends to utilize this army to invade the land beyond the wall, but first, Ellie and Mika must infiltrate the mansion of Raphael Mose, head of The World Conservation Club for Everlife 9, a top-secret age-reversing drug.
Knowledge of The Roar is a must for full appreciation of The Whisper. Action and suspense start immediately and make this a page-turner, a bit at the expense of character development. The gadgets are cool. The setting is atmospheric, alternating between the dank, dark and dangerous Shadows, the stark fortress of Cape Wrath and the lush Eden-like land beyond the wall.