Things are still not right in Depton. A year and a half after her uncanny encounter with the Shadelings, while the nation struggles with drought and shortages, young teen Ice finds herself again at the centre of mysterious events. Just what are the strange bird-beasts that only she seems to notice, and what do they want from her? Can it be true as the witch-woman says, that the fabric between worlds grows thin at Halloween? Nasty secrets are kept at Bale, she is certain, but the blazing countryside threatens everything – her family, her friendships, and her very survival. Ice Cooper and the Beast of Bale is the exciting second book in the Ice Cooper series of contemporary, environmental YA thrillers with a touch of the supernatural.