Ash has lived her entire life at MAC, a research centre responsible for the cloning of mammoths to help the environment and combat climate change. It's a place that is shrouded in secrecy in order the protect the animals from the public and to preserve the safety of the animals. However, during an event for VIPs, it quickly becomes clear that all is not right and poachers are about to do anything they can to sabotage the project. With the rest of the centre being held hostage, it's up to Ash and her friends Ruby and Jack to save not only the staff at MAC but also the mammoths.
Normally, when I write a review, I have the book next to me; however, such is the interest in Mammoth Rider, that a child in my class whisked it out of my hand the second I'd finished it at lunch-time! This is a book in demand before it's even reached the shops!
Ash and her dad are muddling through since the death of her mum, with her dad doing his best to balance working at MAC, being a mammoth rider (something Ash is desperate to become) and bringing up Ash. Theirs is a unique life living at the research facility and Ash, along with her friends Ruby and Jack, are schooled online. It is this that first shows us Ash's neurodiversity (her dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia) and I really like that this is woven seamlessly into the plot - it is good for children to be able to see themselves in the books they read, and see them in a positive light (the notes at the end of the book tell readers that Poyton has drawn on her own experience of neurodiversity when creating Ash).
It's Ash's deep desire to follow in her parents' footsteps (Dad who is a mammoth rider, and Mum who was a mammoth whisperer) that leads her to get to know the rare mammoth that ends up at the centre of the book. She wants nothing more than to get to know the mammoths and to discover whether she has any of her parents' skills. Without meaning to, she becomes a real hero and is someone readers will delight in getting to know.
Friendship is one of the main themes within Mammoth Rider, and it is safe to say that it comes in many different forms. The relationship Ash builds with the Mammoths is lovely to read and I'm sure many readers will be able to relate with the relationship they have with their own pets.
Mammoth Rider combines adventure with important environmental messages; trusting your instincts, bravery and friendship in a book that is perfect for fans of Hannah Gold. It's a simply wonderful read that will fill your heart whilst also leave you with your fingers crossed that there will be a second book.
Mammoth Rider publishes on the 12th March.
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