The Kin — Peter Dickinson

ONE JOURNEY, FOUR VOICES .. .

It is Africa, 200,000 years ago. Six children are cut I off from their family group, the Moonhawk Kin, when they are driven from their home--their Good Places--by violent strangers. Now, alone, living by their wits and limited experience, they must find new Good Places. On their quest, they face the parched desert, an active volcano, a canyon flood, man-eating lions, and--perhaps most dangerous--other kinds of humans they have never seen before. Told from four points of view, with tales of the different Kins' creation interspersed throughout, this epic novel humanizes early man and illuminates the beginning of language, the development of skills, and the organization of society. It is a triumphant book from one of the genre's most revered authors.