Escaping from Midrash was not easy, even riding on the back of a dragon. Seeger promised his friend Boyd he would return with help to set him and the other child soldiers free from the brutality of the Midrashi. What he does not know is that it will nearly be a year before he finally returns, across the desert, with an army and five dragons. But what will he find after all this time? Can the Midrashi be defeated? And what has become of Boyd and the other children? We recognise the invaluable role that public campaigning - and books such as this - that bring the reality of child recruitment to public attention - have in keeping this important issue in the international media and in influencing change. From the postscript on Child Soldiers by Rev Tim Costello, Chief Advocate, World Vision Australia Seeger has promised to rescue his fellow child soldiers from dangerous Midrash but it's a perilous undertaking with sacrifices to be made. I too wanted to be a dragon-friend, riding the wind and touching the sky. This is an absorbing fantasy peopled with rich and diverse human and animal characters, disturbing yet inspiring, and surprisingly funny. Rosanne Hawke, author of Wolfchild, Across the Creek and The Leopard Princess Both allegory and action-packed story, Beast-Speaker keeps the reader fascinated all the way through this well-developed tale. Valerie Volk, author of Even Grimmer Tales, Bystanders, and The Oberammergau Tales The Beast-speaker books' theme - the kidnapping and exploitation of children to become part of a war machine - is both fascinating and challenging. It raises uncomfortable questions for today's world, with frightening parallels to our own indifference and disregard for the plight of stolen children. Thoroughly enjoyable and hard to put down.' Gary Williams, Heavenly Whispers Wendy Noble has an Advanced Diploma of Education, a Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing, but can't remember her own phone number. She has been a primary school teacher, a librarian in a Theological College, has sold women's fashion and has sung folk music in country pubs. Wendy and her husband live in Gawler, South Australia. You can visit Wendy on her Facebook page: @AuthorWendyNoble or on her blog: www.wendynoble.com.