How to Save the World with a Chicken and an Egg

by Emma Shevah

This story isn't just about birds. It's about secrets, the seaside, how seagulls can trick worms into thinking it's raining.

It's about mucus, fudge and dogs needing a wide variety of sniffs.

But if you want the simple version, it's about what happened here last summer. How a girl called Ivy and a boy called Nathaniel solved a mystery and saved the world's animals: one at a time ...

A brand new topical and heartfelt middle grade adventure from the critically acclaimed writer of Dream on, Amber and Dara Palmer's Major Drama.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens

220 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2021

About the author

Emma Shevah is half-Irish and half-Thai. She was born and raised in London but has lived in Australia, Japan, India and Jerusalem. She now lives in London with her family and works far too much. Emma has been a fire-juggler, restaurant manager, copy writer, vegetarian take away server, CV advisor, features writer and blogger, and is currently a freewheeling philosopher and cosmic English-teaching novelist and mystic.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.
It follows 2 children on a journey of acceptance and friendship.
The main character has Aspergers syndrome which both my children have so early on in the book I could identify with the character.

[Sophie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nathaniel spends the summer with his estranged mother. When he gets there he meets the interesting Ivy who can talk to animals. Both of them care deeply about the environment and embark on an adventure together to save the world one animal at a time. As they make friends they uncover a secret which Nathaniel's mother has held onto for too long.

Things I liked:

- I really liked the character of Nathaniel. He was a constant fact machine and I enjoyed that. I learned a lot of interesting things along the way.
- The relationship between Nathaniel and his mum was lovely and I loved watching them reconnect and learn about each other.

Things I didn't like:

- I found Ivy to be quite annoying. As one of the narrators I wanted to like her but instead I found her sections a bit tiresome as she was horrible to everyone she met, especially Nathaniel who I really liked! (as her backstory was revealed this behaviour made sense but I still couldn't excuse it - what can I say I'm horrible)
- I thought the book started off really slow and the plotline with the turtles came a little late on in the story. It felt rushed at the end but dragged out at the beginning.
- Nathaniel kept trying to be friends with Ivy despite her many attempts to brush him off. She was awful to him and I have no idea why he kept trying.
- As a librarian, I found chickens in the library triggering! :P (that is of course a joke).

A nice story about friendship, family, and trying to save the world. This book is a great middle-grade story that highlights environmental issues. It will get young people thinking about what they can do to help the planet and even the small things can help the larger picture. Sadly, I did not resonate with Ivy's character so I found half of the book a bit infuriating.

[MrsD271015 D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of friendship and finding your way. Ivy and Nathaniel are more alike than they realise and need each other much more than they would like to admit as well. This book is a marvellous journey of discovery, family and saving the planet told through the eyes of Ivy and Nathaniel. Ivy can communicate with animals but no one believes her. Nathaniel struggles to communicate with anyone. As Nathaniel tries to find out the secret that has kept his family apart for all these years - his and Ivy’s paths merge in the impossible possible that finally brings everyone together. Not afraid to touch on the hard parts of life or the painful realities we face - this book is heartwarming and inspiring. A must read This books is also filled with interesting facts about all sorts of animals and includes a section at the end with more detailed information about Turtles, how to help bees and a list of ideas to help save the planet in small ways. Themes: Conservation /fostering/loss/nuro-divergent characters/ family dynamics / friendship Recommend age :8+

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was younger, I was obsessed with Lauren St John’s White Giraffe series, and reading this made me so happy because it reminded me of it so much, although the settings are very different. It’s the story of Ivy, who lives with her foster parents and can talk to animals, and Nathaniel, who is on holiday from boarding school for the summer and spending it with his estranged mum. I loved both characters, and the differences in the way they tell their very interlinked story, so much. My heart honestly just broke for Ivy when her backstory was revealed, but I loved her positivity and the way she talks to animals/looks out for their interests above anything else, and I loved seeing Nathaniel bond with his mum more as the book went on. The focus on helping to save animals and protect the planet was also amazing, and I loved finally meeting the “impossible possible” and discovering more about them. I sped through this in an afternoon, and it was just such an enjoyable read that had me hooked so I could find out more about both the mysteries of characters’ past and present mysteries. This is undoubtedly my new favourite Emma Shevah book, and I can’t wait for book 2 in the series given the little hint of where it’s going to be set at the end of this!

[하요진 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a nerd about nature honestly. Some random facts were mind blowing to me. I really like the chicken, she seems to be a fun character. I think it is meaningful to teens that we can actually make an impact, not just sitting around and doing *idk stuff. Sometimes, it might be difficult for adults to listen to us, but don’t let it discourage you. If we yelled it loud enough, we might be given a chance.

[Cortney Westhoff-O'Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quirky story about two different children, using their different talents to save the world. Enjoyed as a bedtime story - a feel good story, with plenty of positive messages.

[Nancy Hannam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book! Changing a whole unit of English in Year 5 and using this book in it!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t massively enjoy this. It was poetically written and I can see its appeal to some, but I found the characters quite frustrating and the plot too slow to develop.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book. I originally brought it because of where its set (southwold is my favourite place!).
The story is really good and interesting. Lots of great facts about animals.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The protagonist has an awe-inspiring connection with the planet.

[Angela Raguso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[BookBairn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the plot of this story and how it all tied up nicely together in a beautiful piece of storytelling. Also enjoyed reading the neurodiverse characters and think they would be great for ‘windows and mirrors’ books for young readers, especially those concerned about climate and environmental activism. My one criticism is they way the chapters alternated between the two main characters whose ‘voices’ felt too similar to me and I sometimes got confused as to who was telling the story - at first I didn’t actually realise the character voice had shifted. And that made the storytelling a bit more clunky than it needed to be. But overall it was an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.