An overstuffed, messy sci-fi narrative whose saving grace is an enjoyable main character.
After finding a mysterious puck-shaped object in the woods, a young bird-watcher must play the hero—and at times fail—in this adventure.
At first, white seventh-grader Noah Grow forgets about the disc when he discovers that a rare black swift has made its home in the nearby nature preserve, representing his “biggest bird-watching score ever!” The disc, however, derails his enthusiasm for the bird. With help from his two best friends, Noah learns that the object grants him strange powers. When some young children find themselves in trouble, Noah uses his newfound abilities to save them. Still, the peculiar disc both thrills and troubles him. “That puck wasn’t mine, it was scary and mysterious, and I didn’t want it.” Soon enough, his shenanigans with the puck draw attention from a local bully and other, unforeseen enemies. Much of the humor stems from Noah’s struggles to overcome his cowardice; other funny bits molded from poop jokes fall a bit flat. Mock “field notes” and reports on his friends and family repeatedly appear, offering contextual information from Noah’s perspective in a clever, albeit gratuitous way. As Noah grapples with his timidity and discovers that the puck’s origins may not be earthly, the story fizzles out in a cliffhanger ending.
An overstuffed, messy sci-fi narrative whose saving grace is an enjoyable main character. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2552-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey.
Separated from his pack, Swift, a young wolf, embarks on a perilous search for a new home.
Swift’s mother impresses on him early that his “pack belongs to the mountains and the mountains belong to the pack.” His father teaches him to hunt elk, avoid skunks and porcupines, revere the life that gives them life, and “carry on” when their pack is devastated in an attack by enemy wolves. Alone and grieving, Swift reluctantly leaves his mountain home. Crossing into unfamiliar territory, he’s injured and nearly dies, but the need to run, hunt, and live drives him on. Following a routine of “walk-trot-eat-rest,” Swift traverses prairies, canyons, and deserts, encountering men with rifles, hunger, thirst, highways, wild horses, a cougar, and a forest fire. Never imagining the “world could be so big or that I could be so alone in it,” Swift renames himself Wander as he reaches new mountains and finds a new home. Rife with details of the myriad scents, sounds, tastes, touches, and sights in Swift/Wander’s primal existence, the immediacy of his intimate, first-person, present-tense narration proves deeply moving, especially his longing for companionship. Realistic black-and-white illustrations trace key events in this unique survival story, and extensive backmatter fills in further factual information about wolves and their habitat.
A sympathetic, compelling introduction to wolves from the perspective of one wolf and his memorable journey. (additional resources, map) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-289593-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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