How many words do you need to survive?
The city of Ark is the last safe place on Earth. To make sure humans avoid the mistakes of their past, everyone in Ark must speak List, a language of only 500 words. Everyone, that is, except Letta.
As apprentice to the Wordsmith, Letta can read all the words that have ever existed. Words like freedom, music, and even pineapple tell her about a world she’s never known. But when the leaders of Ark order her to shorten List even more, Letta wonders if there will be any words left to speak.
Soon she’s faced with a dangerous choice: sit idly by and watch language slowly slip away or follow a mysterious boy on a path to freedom ……..or banishment.
