Iz the Apocalypse
Iz the Apocalypse
The opening chord of the music exploded in Dennison Hall, shattering the silence. And Iz Beaufort, sitting there in the audience, suddenly burst into tears like a complete idiot. “Shut up,” she was whispering furiously to herself. But as the music gained momentum, she found herself getting more stupidly worked up, not less. It was the way the chord looked. All charcoal grey and black, streaked throughout with sullen blue, with flashes of slicing silver. It was like some multi-storey building that looked and morphed in Iz’s head. Meanwhile, Audra Allen started kicking the back of her chair, saying, “Hey new kid, some of us are trying to watch the show.” Which was a joke, because Audra Allen had been going around telling everyone how boring this concert was going to be. “Sorry,” Iz muttered. She hunched down in her chair, crossed her arms furiously and protectively, trying to get the music out of her head. But the trouble was, Iz and music were totally complicated. It was like some relationship in which they were always fighting or making up or ghosting each other. Mostly ghosting for the last two years, actually. That was when she’s shoved her guitar under the bed and vowed not to play it again. It was right after she’d been in a really bad foster home, where playing the guitar had led to horrible things she mostly tried not to think about now. It had been a survival thing, hiding it away, going undercover, pulling a kind of fog around herself, and trying not to stand out. And she’s mostly succeeded. But her in Dennison Hall, at the most unlikely of moments, that extraordinary chord was smashing doors open in her head and memories were spilling out.
Iz Beaufort, a 14-year-old talented singer/songwriter, has been in 26 foster homes and 14 schools. She spends much of her time alone, not wanting to attract attention, while keeping the memories of That Place at bay. When her current school takes her on a field trip to see a concert by Manifesto, a high-performance orchestra of talented students from the Métier School, Iz is moved to tears and vows that she will attend the school and win a place in Manifesto. Somehow, Iz must figure out how to get into this school and overcome not having any formal musical training, but also not having any money to pay the $1500 per month tuition. After Iz fakes her transcripts and reference letters, she does an amazing audition and is admitted; however, now she must overcome how to pay for her tuition every month and not let her foster family know what she has done.
Readers of Iz the Apocalypse will be immediately drawn into Iz’s struggles to overcome all odds to be able to stay at Métier. They will want to know how Iz is doing and whether she will be able to figure out a way to pay to stay in the school she loves so much. When Iz runs into troubles, readers will want to know if everything will work out for Iz and whether she will finally get her happy life that she so rightly deserves. Readers will be drawn into the story to understand why Iz thinks she is an apocalypse.
Iz the Apocalypse will appeal to fans of realistic fiction as well as readers who are budding musicians. Young musicians may identify with Iz and wish that they got to go to such a great music school as Métier. The character of Iz is very well-developed and accurately reflects the life of a child in care. The romantic subplot between Iz and Teo, a Métier student, is very sweet and gradually emerges, to the surprise of Iz who has never really had anyone she could count on.
Sarah Wethered has been a teacher-librarian at New Westminster Secondary School for 23 years, and she currently lives in New Westminster, British Columbia.