Waterstones Young Adult Book of the Month for May 2026

When Xavier wakes up on the first morning of an enforced family weekend away with his pregnant stepmum and dad, he doesn't recognise where they are - it's as if the house has inexplicably been transported to the set of a video game, inside an impenetrable dome where the family have been 'donated' chickens, goats, wheat to help them survive. There is no trace of their mysterious captors and no way to escape.

Three years later, he's sixteen and resigned to life without the internet, other people, let alone a girlfriend... when suddenly another family appears, one with vastly contrasting political ideologies and priorities.

In the confines of this strange world, Xavier and 17-year-old gorgeous Mackenzie are thrown together, Mackenzie's erratic father becomes obsessively fixated on escape, and tensions between the two families begin to rise with devastating and tragic consequences...

Kenneth Oppel's most thrilling novel to date is challenging, provocative and unforgettable.

About The Author

Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning SILVERWING trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide, and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. AIRBORN was winner of a Michael L Printz Honor Book Award, and the Canadian Governor General's Award for Children's Literature; its sequel, SKYBREAKER, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children's Novel of the Year by the London Times. He is also the author of HALF BROTHER, THIS DARK ENDEAVOR, THE BOUNDLESS, and THE NEST (winner of the CLA Book of the Year for Children). His latest books are INKLING, BLOOM, and GHOSTLIGHT. Born on Vancouver Island, Oppel has lived in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, England, Ireland, and now lives in Toronto with his wife and children.