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How to Save the World with a Chicken and an Egg

by Emma Shevah

Interest age: 9 to 13
Reading age: 10+

Published by Chicken House, 2020

About this book

Ivy can talk to animals – really – but no one will believe her. This is incredibly frustrating, especially as she is so passionate about the environment and helping wildlife.

Nathaniel has grown up with his gran, but this summer is visiting his mum for the first time. In her will, his gran left him a letter, which said there is something at his mum’s for him to find – but what?

Ivy, who’s living in foster care, prefers animals to human beings, and Nathaniel, who’s on the autistic spectrum, has trouble making friends. But Nathaniel senses a kindred spirit in Ivy, and when Ivy discovers an unusual creature has visited the local beach, she realises she’s going to need all the help she can get to protect it. But can she get people to believe her? And what is the creature’s connection to Nathaniel’s family mystery?

This charming and heartfelt story stars two wonderfully-drawn characters determined to make positive change in the world. Their desire to protect wildlife and the environment often feels like an impossible task, but they learn every small step makes a difference. Along the way, they’re each able to unlock their own tightly-guarded selves and discover the value of friendship.

Note: there are references to Ivy’s traumatic early years experiences which could be difficult for some readers.

About the author

Emma Shevah is half-Thai and half-Irish, but was born and raised in London. This diverse heritage influences her writing, which is typically about identity and what makes us who we are. She writes funny, deep books that she hopes will make readers think.

Dream on Amber is about fatherless, half-Japanese Amber Miyamoto, who invents an imaginary dad to help her with her escalating problems. Dara Palmer’s Major Drama is about an adopted Cambodian girl who wants the lead role in a play and has to take matters into her own hands to achieve it. And What Lexie Did follows a Greek Cypriot girl who tells a huge lie that splits her family apart and separates her from her cousin and best friend, Eleni. Hello Baby Mo!, for early readers, follows school boy Adam dealing with an exasperating new sibling, and was published in 2019. Emma lives in Brighton.

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