The Call
Publisher
David Fickling Books
Publication Year
2016
ISBN
9781338045611
Pages
307 pages
Genre
horror
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
3 minutes and 4 seconds. The length of time every teenager is 'Called', from the moment they vanish to the moment they reappear. 9 out of 10 children return dead. Even the survivors are changed. The nation must survive. Nessa, Megan and Anto are at a training school -- to give them some chance to fight back. Their enemy is brutal and unforgiving. But Nessa is determined to come back alive. Determined to prove that her polio-twisted legs won't get her killed. But her enemies don't just live in the Grey Land. There are people closer to home who will go to any length to see her, and the nation, fail.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
HL780L
Diversity Topics
Disability and Health; Physical disability; Illness; paralysis; paralyzed legs; poliomyelitis; polio
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
mother and father
Awards
Carnegie Medal, 2018, Long List, Children's Book
CBI Book of the Year Award, 2017, Short List
Lancashire County Library Children's Book of the Year Award, 2018, Longlist
Young Adult Book Prize, 2017, Short List, Young Adult Fiction
Leeds Book Award, 2017, Ages 14-16
Tayshas High School Reading List, 2017
Virginia Readers' Choice Award, 2018 - 2019, High School
Keywords
fairies; Ireland; survival; death; boarding school; torture; monsters; personal struggle; bravery
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
O'Guilin, Peadar, "The Call" (2016). Diverse Families. 1516.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1516