The Wind Singer (Wind on Fire Trilogy, Book 1)

Kestrel Hath's schoolroom rebellion against the stifling caste system of Aramanth leads to explosive consequences for her and her family: they are relegated to the city's lowest caste and are ostracized. With nothing left to lose, Kestrel and her twin brother, Bowman, do the unthinkable: they leave the city walls. Their only hope to rescue the rest of their family is to find the key to the wind singer, a now-defunct device in the city's center, which was once the course of happiness and harmony in Aramanth. But the key was given to an evil spirit-lord, the Morah, in exchange for the Morah's calling off its terrible army of Zars. Armed with desperate bravery, wits, and determination, Kestrel, Bowman, and a tagalong classmate set off to find the key. Along the way they meet allies and foes, but in order to succeed in their quest, they must face the most sinister force of all: the powerful Morah.

William Nicholson was born in 1948 and received his early education at Downside School, a Roman Catholic monastic school set in the countryside near Bath. He went on to study English Literature at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating with a double First Class degree in 1970. After leaving university, William joined BBC television, where he worked as a documentary film maker. It was not long before William's talent was channelled into writing for television dramas and his professional writing career took off. William is perhaps best known as an experienced and successful Hollywood screenwriter, whose credits include the BAFTA award-winning SHADOWLANDS and Oscar-winning GLADIATOR. Nicholson's first trilogy for young readers, The Wind on Fire, met with universal acclaim. Nicholson has won the Smarties Gold Award and the Blue Peter Book Award. He has been cited as one of the most gifted and imaginative writers alive in the world today. William lives in Sussex with his wife Virginia, and their three children.