<p><b>A gripping, prizewinning novel about a girl surviving in a devastated world.</b><br><br>Imagine that a few years from now England is covered by water, and Norwich is an island. <br><br>Zoe, left behind in the confusion when her parents escaped, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and gets away to Eels Island. But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of danger too.<br><br>The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that is handled with warmth and humanity.<br><br>This book was the winner of the Branford Boase Award 2001 and marked the start of author Marcus Sedgwick''s multi-award-winning career.</p>