The ask and the answer
Readers rate it 4.1 (257 on Hardcover)
518 pages · Released 2009 · Walker Books
Content report card
The ask and the answer parent’s guide: what’s inside
LGBTQ+ themes
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
The Ask and the Answer is the intense second book in Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, featuring war, political oppression, and morally complex characters navigating survival under a totalitarian regime. While the protagonist Todd shows resilience and moral growth, the narrative is dark and emotionally heavy, with significant violence, torture, and psychological manipulation as plot drivers. This is appropriate for mature teens comfortable with challenging science fiction but not for younger readers.
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From the publisher
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town?
Shelved under
- American fiction
- American Fantasy fiction
- Children's fiction
- Science fiction
- Space and time, fiction
- Social problems, fiction
- Extrasensory perception, fiction
- Child and youth fiction
- Fantasy fiction
- A mix driven
- Strong Character Development
- Unloveable Characters
Books in the Chaos Walking series
Full series in order →
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ISBN 9781406310269 · Walker Books