Global warming has caused the seas to rise and rise, swallowing entire cities in its wake. London is underwater, literally, and anarchy has followed upon this disaster. Well, so the police would like you to think. They want you to think it is so bad, they need not one, but two police forces- the adult police, for grown ups, aka the 'Dult police, and the YPD, Youth Police, for kids. No, no, this is not sending a kid to juvenile detention as we know it, this is a police force ran by actual kids. Think kids aged 7 and upwards with truncheons, police boats, and their own galley ship, not to mention the prison fortress they territorially defend from the 'Dult Police. Yes, the two police literally have an uneasy truce that often erupts into violence it seems. Into this world we step and meet Jemima Mallard, the daughter of the Chief Inspector of the 'Dult Police. If just entering puberty was not bad enough, her life takes a definite turn for the worse. Her first boyfriend literally dumps her, and then two kids come along and sink the houseboat she and her father live on. Then a member of the YPD manages to knock her air tanks into the Thames, and when she goes to retrieve them, she ends up branded a criminal by the YPD who thinks she is mixed up with a strange shadowy figure called Father Thames. It is either help them, or face the consequences, and her only clues as to what is going on rests with mysterious lotto style scratch cards found on the Thames and little white ducks.

If the premise of the story is not unusual enough, let's take a look at its execution. Robin Price's writing is quirky with a bit of an edge to it that greatly adds realism to this dystopian version of London. Jemima is pretty typical for her age; she is a fairly nice kid, but has a bit of a know it all attitude when dealing with others, yet is always internally questioning herself and what is going on. Add in the gritty illustrated comic panels by Paul McGrory and you find this is indeed something quite new, not only in plot, but in style. It's not just an illustrated novel, nor is it quite a graphic novel. It is a hybrid between the two. While the Japanese have their light novels with easy to read text and full page illustrations, this fits somewhat between that idea and the graphic novel/manga concept. As such, it works quite well for the younger market. Children aged 9 and above who are reluctant to read but love comics will find the shorter full text sections easy to get through, with the comic panels adding punctuation to the action occurring within that part of the chapter. It almost reminds me of the old Batman TV show, where live action footage was suddenly mixed with comic book graphics at key moments.

The subject matter itself is timely, being a look forward at a future where we let global warming go unchecked, but where current politics nannies everyone to the point that most go without electricity and other necessities to limit the damage, despite the green options. Indeed, this is the first book of a series which promises to look closer at the politics and machinations of Jemima's world, as well a further exploration of Jemima's own past. With the slightly sarcastic wit and tongue in cheek puns and jokes within the text, I look forward to seeing how the rest of the storyline pans out. I simply don't think I can look at a duck quite the same again, never mind a scratch off card.

****. I would like to thank the author for taking time to chat with me at the Midlands Expo 2010 and for providing me with a (signed!) review copy.****