Unsatisfying and predictable.
Despite impossible odds, Toby is determined to honor his friend Lucas by completing a partial thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Hypothermia, sunburn, dehydration, starvation; each could become a deadly mistake on the 450-mile trek from his home in Vermont to where the trail ends on Mount Katahdin in Maine. Toby’s youth and inexperience put him in constant danger, but the kindness of other hikers helps him when he is most desperate. But when he meets a half-starved mutt on the trail, he halves his resources and doubles his responsibility. For Toby, finishing the hike is in part penance for a tragedy he believes is his fault. He is certain only the rise and fall of his boots will satisfy the ache in his heart. Aside from the flashbacks that rather laboriously recount Toby’s relationship with Lucas and how everything went wrong, Toby’s adventure reads rather like a combination of an equipment checklist and a mashup of every possible danger one might encounter in nature. Extreme adventure fans will appreciate the research that went into recounting the life of an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, but other readers will quickly grow weary of the repetitive narrative, the lack of character diversity, and endless near-death experiences. And while the trail is hilly, Toby’s emotional journey is flat. Absence of racial cues will lead readers to infer that Toby is white.
Unsatisfying and predictable. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-03586-5
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 22, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series.
Beloved gorilla Ivan becomes a father to rambunctious twins in this finale to a quartet that began with 2012’s Newbery Award–winning The One and Only Ivan.
Life hasn’t always been easy for silverback gorilla Ivan, who’s spent most of his life being mistreated in captivity. Now he’s living in a wildlife sanctuary, but he still gets to see his two best friends. Young elephant Ruby lives in the grassy habitat next door, and former stray dog Bob has a home with one of the zookeepers. All three were rescued from the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan’s expanded world includes fellow gorilla Kinyani—the two are about to become parents, and Ivan is revisiting the traumas of his past in light of what he wants the twins to know. When the subject inevitably comes up, Applegate’s trust and respect for readers is evident. She doesn’t shy away from hard truths as Ivan wrestles with the fact that poachers killed his family. Readers will need the context provided by knowledge of the earlier books to feel the full emotional impact of this story. The rushed ending unfortunately falls flat, detracting from the central message that a complex life can still contain hope. Final art not seen.
Not the most satisfying wrap-up, but it’s always good to spend time in the world of this series. (gorilla games, glossary, author’s note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780063221123
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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