Cold Call tells how the earth has found its own voice; it’s reacting against pollution and is sending instructions for the damage to be repaired. 

Pam Henry’s fantastic debut children’s novel promises to spark any child’s imagination. Following 12-years-old Ross Edwards, an ordinary boy given the gift of supernatural communication with our Planet Earth, and embarking on the most extraordinary adventure, Cold Call uncovers an amazing ecological message for saving our environment from harm.

Extract

“As he watched, the whole white world gently paused, instead of falling the snow was just hovering there like a shimmering shower curtain.  He blinked a few times and taking his hand out of his glove he reached out to touch what seemed to him to be something solid, in fact his hand just passed through, as it would if the snow had been falling in the normal way.”

A tornado acts as a natural video camera.  

“…… and as you can see, not only do we have these Arctic conditions focused in specific areas around the south, but now there is a tornado forming above us.   This is phenomenal, in fact it should be impossible in this country in the middle of winter, but there it is, there is no mistaking the funnel forming.”  As she spoke the funnel stretched out towards her, just to establish the fact that it was real and it was coming straight at her; the pictures started to bump around as the TV presenter and the cameraman backed away from the threatening wind.”

A face forms in the snow and reaches out to the family dogs.  

“It looked a bit like the stone face on the wall fountain in the garden, it was the broad, round face of a man.  Billowing around the edges, its long hair and beard were being blown forward by the wind.  It was a serious face, but not harsh or frightening, so the dogs didn’t run away; it just hovered above them at first, then filled its cheeks and blew out a sugar fine sprinkling of snow, the dogs lifted their noses as it fell over them.  This frosting had a mesmerising effect, calming the dogs so that they weren’t afraid, then came the voice.”

The weather takes on a mind of its own and forms a cone of calm within a blizzard.  

“Hey look at that.”  It was Izzie this time, no-one had thought to look up and now they did, they could see the stars in a clear night sky, the storm was being held outside by a funnel of electrical charge, creating this haven in its centre.  Now all they needed to do was find out why.”

The climax of the story comes on New Year’s Eve, when the hole in the ozone layer is repaired. 

“Rising from every living creature on the hill came a shining, twisting thread fashioned from the mix of light and energy.  It was fine as sewing yarn at first, widening and growing as it rose and twisted together.  Higher and higher, expanding from fine twine to fishing line, then from ribbon to rope, until there were hundreds of cable size tendrils spiralling up into the clear night sky.  As the glistening lines reached up they became entwined, transforming into a gigantic spear-like vortex, gaining speed as quickly as it gained height.”