The Great and the Small
by A.T. Balsara
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Pub Date Sep 03 2024 | Archive Date Jul 31 2024
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Description
Bravery meets betrayal in this dystopian tale where a human and a rodent bridge their different worlds as an interspecies war rages, in the award-winning YA novel illustrated and written by A.T. Balsara. “The Great and The Small” (Common Deer Press, Sept 3, 2024) follows a young tormented teen who befriends a rebellious rat and the inexplicable way their lives intertwine in this dark yet hopeful story of resilience, acceptance, and strength.
Filled with beautiful graphic illustrations, the Nautilus Book Award silver winner is being released with a new cover and expanded story that offers a deeper, nuanced exploration into themes of coping with buried sexual abuse, trauma, and PTSD that will resonate with teens.
Ananda is a troubled teen who feels like a misfit, and her unusual ability to connect with animals makes her feel like even more of an outsider. Still raw from her grandmother’s death, Ananda's dreams are haunted by a long-buried memory that causes her to push people away. Fin is a Tunnel rat who lives in the dark places humans overlook or despise. Orphaned, he is the nephew of the Tunnel's charismatic leader and will do anything to please his uncle. When Ananda protects Fin during a chance encounter in the market, neither can foresee how their lives will forever be inextricably linked, but as the Chairman launches a plague war against the humans, both Fin and Ananda wrestle with secrets so terrible that they threaten their very existence.
Told as mirroring narratives that reverberate with the effects of buried trauma, and informed by historical accounts of plague and dictatorship, this stunning tale examines what it takes to grasp for light in the darkness and survive the threats both beyond us and within us.
A Note From the Publisher
Andrea is also a painter, an avid amateur explorer of quantum physics, and a keen environmentalist. She advocates for the humane treatment of animals and regularly volunteers at a donkey sanctuary where she uses energy medicine to help previously neglected and abused animals regain their health and vitality.
Advance Praise
Praise and awards for the first edition of The Great and The Small
- 2020 Page Turner Book Awards, shortlisted; won the Spectrum Audiobook prize 2018 Nautilus Book Awards, Silver
- 2018 Literary Classics, Eloquent Quill Award (top honors); Golds in Upper MG Adventure category and Special Interest-Epic category
- 2018 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition, Semi-Finalist
- 2018 Moonbeam Book Award, Silver
- 2018 Purple Dragonfly Award, Silver
- 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards, Finalist Spring
- 2018 Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s BEST BOOKS for Kids & Teens Magazine selection
“This YA book ‘The Great and The Small’ is George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘1984’ meets Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’…”
Richard M. Grove, publisher, editor, writer, poet laureate
“A. T. Balsara's The Great and the Small is an irresistibly compelling graphic novel that weaves Gothic and Modern eras into a dark tapestry at times both tender and violent…It is the storyline that pulls you down the page with urgency, yet these pictures are so arrestingly beautiful, you simply find yourself stopping to luxuriate in them…In this age of intense scrutiny of the destructive nature of humankind towards the entire world, The Great and the Small is an enlightening parable that is as irresistible as it is timely.”
Philip Roy, author
"Exploring the complex layers of the human (and animal) heart, and what it means to love and struggle with ties to family as well as the greater good, A.T. Balsara deftly weaves a tale that is compelling and thought-provoking. Asking the reader to understand how ignorance, misunderstanding, blind ideology, hatred, and betrayal can lead us only into the darkest abyss, The Great & the Small reminds us of the higher ideals that unite us all, whether great or small.”
Leila Merl, poet and former high school teacher
"This gripping tale speaks volumes on many underlying themes which add greater depth and symbolism to an already powerful story. Highly recommended for home and school libraries, The Great & the Small has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval."
Literary Classics Review
“The author has crafted a very descriptive, darkly-told suspenseful tale where the reader is taken into a world that is often hidden from humans…The reader is given a glimpse into the beginnings of a strangely unique friendship in which both Fin and the ‘two-leg’ gain a greater understanding of one another…This is not a story for the faint of heart, but it is a tale that will surely have a reader sitting at the edge of their seat and holding their breath until the end!”
Recently Read
“Beneath the warm and fuzzy characters, we find a story of war and the devastating effect it has on everyone involved. …A.T. Balsara did such a good job of bringing the rats to life. They had just the right amount of human characteristics to make them relatable, yet they still acted and behaved like rats. … The result is an extraordinary book that is mesmerizing on every level.”
Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781988761107 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
