The flame alphabet cover

The flame alphabet

by Ben Marcus

The speech of children has mutated into a virus which is killing their parents. At first it only affects Jews, then everyone. Sam and Claire's lives are threatened when their daughter, Esther, becomes lethal. Each word she speaks is toxic to Sam and Claire. Radio transmissions from strange sources indicate that adults across the country are growing increasingly alarmed. All around, parents wither beneath the powerful screams of their children.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?