By Ingvild Bjerkeland
Translated by Rosie Hedger
Levine Querido, 2025
128 pages
978-1-64614-513-3
Age 10 and older
With the arrival of predatory creatures known simply as “the beasts” comes the collapse of society. With their mother dead—killed by a beast—13-year-old Abdi and his little sister, Alva, are on the move, searching for food and making their way toward the island where their father is working. As they take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, flashbacks reveal the chaotic scramble that took place as people tracked the movement of the beasts and hoarded supplies or fled. When strangers arrive at the farmhouse, the siblings move on and are pursued by a beast into a nearby body of water. They are rescued by Lucy, an older woman whose family was killed, and taken to her remote cabin. There Abdi and Alva find respite and care. The night before they plan to move on, though, a beast arrives on their front step, viciously swinging an axe at their door, determined to gain entry. The absence of explanation—Where did the beasts come from? Why are they here? What do they want?—makes this well-paced, open-ended horror story all the more frightening. The black-coated beasts have long, slender limbs; sharp teeth; hooves; and spiral claws that unfurl to become swordlike weapons, but most terrifying is their humanlike cunning. Translated from Norwegian, this slim, thrilling novel is both accessible and sophisticated. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center