The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf

Gr 7 Up—This debut YA novel and series opener by indigenous Australian Kwaymullina is set in a postapocalyptic Australia where humanity's abuse of the environment has caused a societal and environmental chaos called the Reckoning. Ashala Wolf is one of many young people who have developed strange abilities, such as causing earthquakes, manipulating clouds and the weather, and traveling through time and space in dreams. The government fears people with these abilities, who are referred to as Illegals, and rounds them up for detention in facilities rumored to host terrifying experiments. The narrator, a Sleepwalker, is one of the leaders of the Tribe, a group of Illegals who have evaded capture by hiding in a wilderness area that is home to intelligent, carnivorous reptiles and sentient plant life. When the teen is lured into town and seemingly betrayed by fellow Tribe member Justin Connor, she is arrested and forced into the most frightening detention center of all, where she is hooked up to a machine that will reveal her every thought and secret, endangering her organization. But things are not as they seem, and Ashala's Sleepwalking ability may help her save her people and other Illegals. This is a creative take on some well-worn tropes of the genre: repressive government, youth with unusual powers. The world-building is particularly interesting, as the author incorporates elements of the aboriginal creation story of the Dreamtime and Grandfather Serpent into the protagonist's visions. Give this one to dystopia fans who are looking for a unique perspective.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ