This book is breathtaking and brilliant. I loved every page!
Maggie is a middle child. In her small community people live their lives in great fear of the Quiet War. Every day the children sing songs and recite words reinforcing the only way to stay safe.
Our eldest are heroes. Our eldest are special. Our eldest are brave.
Shame upon any who holds back an eldest and shame upon their kin.
Most of all, shame upon the wanderers.
Let peace settle over the Quiet War, truly and forever.
Every family must send their first born child to a special camp where they will be trained to assist with the war effort. In the town people put up black out curtains each evening and everyone follows the rule of staying inside the village which is surrounded by barriers. Outsiders are dangerous. They are called Wanderers. Every child knows these people are: Dirty. Dangerous. Deceitful.
Maggie knows her brother Jed, who is about to turn fourteen, will soon be sent to camp. Maggie is an obedient girl and she does follow all the town rules but she cannot help feeling some resentment. Eldests get so many special privileges.
"You eldests get everything - big parties, the best clothes, you win all the prizes, you get praise for stuff you didn't do, we even chant about you every day in assembly."
Then everything changes. Maggie meets Una Opal. Una is a Wanderer. Maggie sees an opportunity for glory, for recognition. If she can hand Una and Mr Opal over to Mayor Anderson then maybe someone will finally notice her. But over time she gets to know Una and slowly, one fragment at a time, the truth is revealed and everything Maggie has believed as true turns out to be the most dangerous of lies.
Kirsty Applebaum creates the most amazing world in this gripping story. Adults are sent to work in the fields, water is a commodity that has to be collected in a container called a Cleercan, every citizen is given a billy lamp. From the way these are described I think they might be solar lamps and it is very clear they are precious. Maggie finds a whole pile of them in a house where Jed and his friend Lindi are being held.
"A hole pile of billy lamps? Who has a whole pile of billy lamps behind their desk? You only get one when you're born, and you jolly well have to look after it because there isn't another one coming your way any time soon."
Cars are also rare and electricity is unreliable. I loved the way each of these details is given as a tiny story fragment.
Careful, serious, indelible. Kirkus
My labels for this post may give you some further ideas about the themes of the story. I highly recommend The Middler for all readers aged 10+. Here are some companion reads:
I also loved these books by Kirsty Applebaum. She is certainly an author who leaves you with lots of things to think about:
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