A fun adventure for animal-loving young readers.
Three young, plucky frogs help save the day in Dempsey’s debut for middle-grade readers.
Life is tranquil at Lake Fibian for the Anura, the frog nation, who gather monthly on Luna Light Night “to celebrate the unity of the lake.” Three young frog friends, known for their troublemaking as “The Three,” enjoy many adventures around the lake. Max is the most daring of The Three, while Spyder is more cautious (and a voracious eater), and Cristobel excels at figuring things out. Life hasn’t always been so idyllic, though. According to the “Croaklore,” the lake was once invaded by a creature called a Hoppernot, which walked on two legs, spoke an incomprehensible language, and snatched fish out of the lake without warning. After the Hoppernot departed, all the species made a pact to cooperate. Now the Hoppernots have returned, threatening the peace. The Three discover that the Hoppernots are destroying the animals’ summer resort, a long-abandoned house. Cristobel also finds that she can understand their language. Using this knowledge, The Three mobilize the animals to use their strengths to scare the Hoppernots away. The story is told from a frog’s-eye view, presenting common items such as cars and baseball caps from a frog’s perspective. Even the language has been modified as frog-speak: “They’re too afraid of getting tadnapped and taken away.” Animal lovers will enjoy fun facts neatly incorporated into the plot; for example, a flock of crows is called a murder. In the beginning, the history of the animals’ pact almost overwhelms with detail, and it takes a while for the action to get going. Once it does, though, the story moves at a quick pace, with only a couple of delays for out-of-place flashbacks. Some minor punctuation and grammatical errors, as well as incorrect word choices (“after so much time had past”), may be especially confusing for an audience new to reading. However, well-developed characters, an exciting climax, and a strong theme of working together make this an appealing story.
A fun adventure for animal-loving young readers.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-0990481201
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Pug Paw Press
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Thought-provoking and charming.
A sophisticated robot—with the capacity to use senses of sight, hearing, and smell—is washed to shore on an island, the only robot survivor of a cargo of 500.
When otters play with her protective packaging, the robot is accidently activated. Roz, though without emotions, is intelligent and versatile. She can observe and learn in service of both her survival and her principle function: to help. Brown links these basic functions to the kind of evolution Roz undergoes as she figures out how to stay dry and intact in her wild environment—not easy, with pine cones and poop dropping from above, stormy weather, and a family of cranky bears. She learns to understand and eventually speak the language of the wild creatures (each species with its different “accent”). An accident leaves her the sole protector of a baby goose, and Roz must ask other creatures for help to shelter and feed the gosling. Roz’s growing connection with her environment is sweetly funny, reminiscent of Randall Jarrell’s The Animal Family. At every moment Roz’s actions seem plausible and logical yet surprisingly full of something like feeling. Robot hunters with guns figure into the climax of the story as the outside world intrudes. While the end to Roz’s benign and wild life is startling and violent, Brown leaves Roz and her companions—and readers—with hope.
Thought-provoking and charming. (Science fiction/fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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