What do you think?
Rate this book
Spark
In a world struggling to exist, only the strongest will survive. The explosive, action-packed new adventure from the award-winning author of Kick and Pop!Ash has always lived in Last Village, lonely since the day his father left and never came back.The world is unbearably hot, water is drying up, and life is hard. After a vicious thunderstorm, Ash wakes to find that the village's water has completely run out, and all the other villagers have mysteriously disappeared.Accompanied by the outcast Bronwyn, Ash sets off in search of water, for answers about what happened to the villagers, with hope they might find 'The Kingdom' - a rumoured land to the north where life still flourishes.Ash and Bronwyn have to survive a journey across an arid landscape, discovering that other people out there are even more dangerous than the lightning strikes that follow them. Then they reach The Wall - beyond it, something impossible.Lying in wait are the answers Ash is searching for, and maybe even the truth about what happened to his father. If only he could get past The Wall...Sometimes all it takes is just one spark.Praise for Mitch Johnson'Fizzes with adventure and great characters who pop from the page' - Peter Bunzl, bestselling author of Cogheart'I read it all in one gulp!' - Ross Welford, bestselling author of Time Travelling with a Hamster'A bonkers Willy-Wonka nightmare designed to get children thinking about the effects of everything they buy' - Ross Montgomery, bestselling author of The Midnight Guardians'A zany adventure that will make you bubble with laughter and fizz with indignation on behalf of our planet' - Maria Kuzniar, bestselling author of The Ship of Shadows'An exploding soda geyser of a book - an adventure story that will make you laugh, make you angry and make you want to do something to fix this crazy, messed up world' - Charlie Higson, bestselling author of Young Bond and The Enemy'Pop! is an explosive and unforgettable adventure with defiant heroes, devious villains, deadly corporate secrets all told with Johnson's brilliant humour. I loved it' - Tamsin Winter, bestselling author of Jemima Small Versus the Universe
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2022
5 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 24, 2022
I have enjoyed both of Mitch Johnson’s previous books, each of them being entirely different from each other and this one. This one is set in a dystopian future with a dose of climate change warning thrown in.
The adventure is both exciting and terrifying - in fact, the climate that they live in and the few remnants of humanity they encounter are equally frightening. It was such an exciting read that I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down because I had to know what was going to happen next.
Ash and Bronwyn are interesting characters because in some ways the reader never knows very much about them; you only know about how they behave and how they act, little else. Up until the crisis point, their worlds have been very narrow, consisting of only their respective villages - so it is a very big deal for them to leave and travel elsewhere. The stories of the past are like myths, and they never really know how the actions of their ancestors have impacted their lives - but the reader does.
Mitch Johnson intended the book to be a reminder to his readers to not mess things up for future generations and in that I think he succeeds. Another excellent book from Mitch Johnson.
Thank you to the publisher for sending us an early review copy. Our review features on our Spring 2022 Ones to Watch list: https://www.booksfortopics.com/post/o....
The adventure is both exciting and terrifying - in fact, the climate that they live in and the few remnants of humanity they encounter are equally frightening. It was such an exciting read that I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down because I had to know what was going to happen next.
Ash and Bronwyn are interesting characters because in some ways the reader never knows very much about them; you only know about how they behave and how they act, little else. Up until the crisis point, their worlds have been very narrow, consisting of only their respective villages - so it is a very big deal for them to leave and travel elsewhere. The stories of the past are like myths, and they never really know how the actions of their ancestors have impacted their lives - but the reader does.
Mitch Johnson intended the book to be a reminder to his readers to not mess things up for future generations and in that I think he succeeds. Another excellent book from Mitch Johnson.
Thank you to the publisher for sending us an early review copy. Our review features on our Spring 2022 Ones to Watch list: https://www.booksfortopics.com/post/o....
April 9, 2025
What did you do in COVID? Mitch Johnson's answer would be "I wrote a post-apocalyptic children's story". Maybe it was the times! But it was certainly a good use of his time, as he has produced a good tale of an orphan boy, Ash, outcast in his village, Last Village, who meets a girl from elsewhere, and when the water runs dry and the other villagers vanish, he sets off with her to find the legendary kingdom in the North.
The tale is a good one for mid-grade readers, with some helpers and some double crossing and dangerous times on the way. Ash's faith in the "Four Fathers" will be challenged as he wrestles with the mystery of his father.
I initially rated this 3 stars, because I liked it but can't say I *really liked it. I have decided to up that to four stars, on the basis that mid-graders probably will really like it. What it lacked for me, an adult reader of such books, were a few things:
1. The story is a good one but not wholly original. Young readers won't notice that as they will not have read as many books in this sub-genre.
2. The resolution, which I will avoid providing spoilers for, was written kind of cinematically - in that I could see the scene as if I were watching it on TV, but there were aspects of it that I was confused by, either because they were not too clearly described, or else because detail was glossed over to cover for the implausibility. We can forgive some implausibility in a children's book, but this one did seem to be like one of those ridiculous movie scenes were something utterly impossible is shown and made believable through special effects.
So yes, for me, I liked it. One for actual mid-grade readers, and perhaps not quite so much for us more mature mid-graders!
The tale is a good one for mid-grade readers, with some helpers and some double crossing and dangerous times on the way. Ash's faith in the "Four Fathers" will be challenged as he wrestles with the mystery of his father.
I initially rated this 3 stars, because I liked it but can't say I *really liked it. I have decided to up that to four stars, on the basis that mid-graders probably will really like it. What it lacked for me, an adult reader of such books, were a few things:
1. The story is a good one but not wholly original. Young readers won't notice that as they will not have read as many books in this sub-genre.
2. The resolution, which I will avoid providing spoilers for, was written kind of cinematically - in that I could see the scene as if I were watching it on TV, but there were aspects of it that I was confused by, either because they were not too clearly described, or else because detail was glossed over to cover for the implausibility. We can forgive some implausibility in a children's book, but this one did seem to be like one of those ridiculous movie scenes were something utterly impossible is shown and made believable through special effects.
So yes, for me, I liked it. One for actual mid-grade readers, and perhaps not quite so much for us more mature mid-graders!
February 7, 2022
Spark had an alluring beginning that piqued my curiosity but the adventure just fell flat in the middle and then rushed for the later stages when the truth of the fate of the villagers was revealed. It felt like it kept teetering on the edge of something spectacular but not quite reaching it. I will confess that had this been a book from the library rather than a review title from Netgalley, then I would’ve given up on finishing it. A story with a lot of promise that overall left me deflated. Despite having all the elements that I like in this type of fiction, something was lacking for me. The characters didn’t seem to be well served by parts of the story and the pacing was wrong, at least for this reader.
Sadly a disappointing letdown but with the hope that the next book I read from the author will be a bigger hit with me.
I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Sadly a disappointing letdown but with the hope that the next book I read from the author will be a bigger hit with me.
I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
April 6, 2022
A great read for years 5-8. Set in the future, much has been lost as a result of climate change. The main character is shunned by his village and becomes an unlikely hero. This novel raises important questions - previous generations are revered, yet their thoughtlessness has caused much of the suffering that the characters are currently experiencing. It also raises the importance of thinking for yourself. With many issues to discuss, it would be a great class or book club read.
April 6, 2022
Sparks is about a boy called Ash who lives in the last village. When a survivor from a different village comes, secrets are uncovered and revealed. Ash and Bronywn will have to go on a journey to find the Kingdom and uncover the truth. Will they succeed their quest among betrayal, friendship and trust? A good book written in an entirely new concept.
I liked this book, because it reminds you that you can not always have everything you want.
I liked this book, because it reminds you that you can not always have everything you want.
February 20, 2022
Spark is a great middle grade dystopian that takes a different route when talking about climate change and what the world could look like post disasters, instead of being tech heavy, humanity recedes into a middleages esque world. This book explores the ideas of faith, different beliefs and the stark realities that people face when they will do anything to survive.
The story is fast paced with some great character moments and I can see a lot of adventure story fans enjoying this one. Its relatively short too, and as a standalone I can see it being very popular.
The story is fast paced with some great character moments and I can see a lot of adventure story fans enjoying this one. Its relatively short too, and as a standalone I can see it being very popular.
March 16, 2022
Well written, bleak, dystopian novel. Made me uncomfortable, but not for the right reasons.
May 20, 2022
Fast paced and with plenty of menacing moments and heroism by the main character.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews