The Last Wild

By: Piers Torday

Narrated by: Oliver Hembrough

In a world where animals no longer exist, twelve-year-old Kester Jaynes sometimes feels like he hardly exists either. Locked away in a home for troubled children, he's told there's something wrong with him. So when he meets a flock of talking pigeons and a bossy cockroach, Kester thinks he's finally gone crazy. But the animals have something to say. And they need him. The pigeons fly Kester to a wild place where the last creatures in the land have survived. A wise stag needs Kester's help, and together they must embark on a great journey, joined along the way by an overenthusiastic wolf cub, a military-trained cockroach, a mouse with a ritual for everything, and a stubborn girl named Polly. The animals saved Kester Jaynes. But can Kester save the animals?

Critic reviews

An Indie Next List Selection

"A hugely inventive adventure."
—Eoin Colfer

"Splended stuff."
—Eva Ibbotson

“A whimsical yet thoughtful tale that brings to mind the smarts and silliness of Roald Dahl and Norton Juster.”
—The New York Post

* “Alternately somber, thrilling, and silly, filled with eccentric human and animal characters with distinctive voices."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Should have broad appeal. Recommend this book to readers who like the Books of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau.”
—VOYA

“Combines a great fondness for animals with an appreciation of the freakish.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“An enchanted adventure with a message of empowerment and hope that ought to sweep readers along.”
—Booklist

"When ninety-nine pigeons smash through the windows of Kester's prison and carry him North to the last of the animals…. it's a moment as thrilling as when James flies off in the Giant Peach. Highly recommended"
—The Times (UK)

My ela project book

ok this book was actually a lot better than i thought. i had this dystopian book project and i picked this one cuz it looked pretty cool. i got an audiobook for it cuz it’s faster at 1.8x speed, and it was actually fun to read. lots of inventive ideas, optimistic characters, and overall a book i enjoyed. that’s why i’m writing this, and leaving positive reviews. the book itself isn’t even that long. like 322 pages isn’t THAT bad with an audiobook.