A sensitive, satisfying, and intriguing canine tale.
The arrival of a new dog threatens the stability, happiness, and safety of an established pack.
Gus, the first dog adopted by Miss Lottie, watches out for her growing pack of homeless canines: Tank, an aging bulldog; Roo, a nervous, hyperactive hunting dog; and Moon Pie, an engaging young pug. He appreciates Quinn, the neighbor boy who helps Miss Lottie care for her animals, and even gets along with Ghost, the elusive cat. When Miss Lottie introduces Decker, a confident, sleek, arrogant new dog, Gus knows it’s his job as pack leader to approve each new member, but he hesitates, as Decker unaccountably triggers negative feelings. With the other dogs waiting, Gus indecisively acquiesces, but his misgivings soon prove justified. A toxic bully, Decker rapidly undermines Gus, maligns Tank, intimidates Roo, and tricks Moon Pie into running away. Suddenly, Miss Lottie’s happy family shatters, and Gus knows he must rally everyone to search for missing Moon Pie before it’s too late. The story unfolds from the multiple, alternating perspectives of Gus, Tank, Roo, Moon Pie, Decker, Ghost, Miss Lottie, and Quinn as their personal backstories and motivations gradually emerge, adding depth and insight. Pervading themes of bullying, leadership, loyalty, and family—among humans and canines alike—raise important issues while the comic-style illustrations feature character cameos and highlight key scenes. Human characters default to White.
A sensitive, satisfying, and intriguing canine tale. (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-298918-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Wholesome? Yes. Proper hard work and teamwork values in place? Yes. Paint by numbers? Oh, yes.
Olympic gold medalist Morgan runs down the celebrity-sports-fiction checklist in this series opener: New school? Check. New friends? Check. New boyfriend? Maybe! New soccer team? Check. Inspire said team to take on snooty archrival private school? Check.
Quickly shedding perfunctory initial reservations, Devin sails into seventh grade at Kentville Middle School, makes instant connections in class and at Kangaroos soccer tryouts. She meets requisite bully Mirabelle at the latter, then goes on to be elected team co-captain. After a disastrous start to the season, she helps her team’s members and even the less-than-rigorous coach land on the same winning page. Following a sleepover, a dance, team-building drills and exercises, pep rallies, minor problem-solving and motivational strategizing, Devin prods the Kangaroos into position to beat the haughty Pinewood Panthers in a climactic rematch while also schooling Mirabelle, who has jumped ship to join the rival team.
Wholesome? Yes. Proper hard work and teamwork values in place? Yes. Paint by numbers? Oh, yes. (soccer glossary) (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8570-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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