By Jordan Sunkel
Round Table editor

As environmental issues have started to rise in importance in modern society, controversies on water rise as well. Only a small fraction of water on the earth is actually drinking water, and as populations grow rapidly in size, water supplies decrease.

Several years into the future, this is the problem the world is facing. Absolutely clean drinking water is impossible to be found, except for those who know where to find it. Those who don’t suffer from the harsh chemicals used to desalinate ocean water.

In The Water Wars by Cameron Stratcher, Vera and Will are siblings living in the Basin, a poorer part of the Republic of Illinowa. On a normally unremarkable day, Vera meets Kai, a strange rich boy who does not go to school.

As Vera and Kai’s relationship grows, she learns that his father is a driller, which means he actually finds water. Not only does Kai reveal this information, but also he tells Vera that there is a secret river somewhere, that will be able to provide enough water for everyone.

When Kai and his father disappear suddenly, Vera knows he’s been kidnapped. Enlisting Will’s help to find the boy, they set off into a problem bigger than they imagined. It’s not just a war between countries for water, its war against a major corporation that threatens to take control of all the water.

A small review I had read about this book said that it was good for fans of The Hunger Games series, but unfortunately I cannot agree. It was a very interesting read, but it did not capture my attention at all.

Stratcher obviously can write about extremely intense topics but he wrote a slow dull read. The Water Wars took a huge amount of time to pick up and really begin the story.

The characters also don’t undergo any development. Naturally, for a story of this kind, they must learn to gain courage and determination, but they don’t actually learn any lessons or overcome any obstacle.

One of my favorite events in a novel is a twist or surprise, and The Water Wars had none. Every time something bad happened, someone was there to save the day. Nothing was shocking or jaw dropping, so the book was dull.

Stratcher tried to leave The Water Wars in a cliff-hanger, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel.