Author, Hannah Gold

 Illustrator, Levi Pinfold

Silver Trevelon’s parents aren’t happy. They haven’t been happy since the nursery they decorated started gathering cobwebs, waiting for the baby brother or sister that never came. So when Silver’s dad is invited to paint at a turtle rescue centre in Costa Rica, she hopes it’ll be just the adventure the family needs.

Under the hot tropical sun, Silver settles into life at the animal centre. She even witnesses a rare sighting of a leatherback turtle nesting on the beach. But when the turtle’s eggs are stolen, events take a dark and dangerous turn. Can Silver and her new friends track them down before it’s too late? It’ll mean journeying into the heart of the jungle and uncovering long-buried secrets.

Hannah Gold never intended to write books about climate change. The goal was simply to capture the magical bond between children and animals, but these stories cannot be told without delving into the ecological realities of these animals’ environments.

Turtles are a species that has been around since the time of the dinosaurs but is now facing multiple threats to its survival. This includes the loss of nesting grounds, propeller collisions, mistaking plastic for food and being snared up in bycatch. Although Turtle Moon mentions these issues, it’s set in a wildlife sanctuary threatened by the poaching industry.

Hannah has witnessed firsthand that many children feel incredibly anxious in the face of so much wildlife loss. This doesn’t mean shying away from the big topics, but it does mean deliberately leaving the reader with a feeling of hope. Fear, in itself, is counter-productive, whereas Hannah have always been interested in cultivating the dual powers of empathy and empowerment.