A satisfying environmental mystery in which kids are the problem solvers.
A group of burgeoning conservationists discover that someone in their area is baiting owls, endangering the birds.
Fifth grader Miles is back with his friends, the Backyard Rangers, after their success with saving Blanding’s turtles from poachers in 2022’s Trouble at Turtle Pond. A class assignment involving identifying birds spikes the kids’ interest in trying to spot Bella, a barred owl who’s been spotted emerging in daylight and who isn’t intimidated by humans, thus drawing crowds of onlookers. Miles finds owl pellets by his house, and when his class dissects them, they notice white mouse fur, signifying that someone is baiting owls with domesticated mice. The students learn that this practice increases owls’ dependence on people for food and alters their natural behavior. An owl, likely lured by bait to the side of the road, was even recently hit by a car. The Backyard Rangers decide to act before more owls get hurt. Miles’ ADHD is authentically portrayed as both a challenge and a strength; his impulsivity strains his friendships, but his creative thinking and ability to track details make him a great detective. Renn allows her characters to be realistically flawed, portraying them with nuance. Despite references to events of the previous volume, enjoyment of this sequel isn’t dependent on having read it. Miles presents white; there’s ethnic and racial diversity among the supporting cast.
A satisfying environmental mystery in which kids are the problem solvers. (author’s note) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9781646034789
Page Count: 282
Publisher: Fitzroy Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph.
Generations of human and animal families grow and change, seen from the point of view of the red oak Wishing Tree that shelters them all.
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans. But this tree also has perspective on its animal friends and people who live within its purview—not just witnessing, but ultimately telling the tales of young people coming to this country alone or with family. An Irish woman named Maeve is the first, and a young 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar is the most recent. Red becomes the repository for generations of wishes; this includes both observing Samar’s longing wish and sporting the hurtful word that another young person carves into their bark as a protest to Samar’s family’s presence. (Red is monoecious, they explain, with both male and female flowers.) Newbery medalist Applegate succeeds at interweaving an immigrant story with an animated natural world and having it all make sense. As Red observes, animals compete for resources just as humans do, and nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. This swiftly moving yet contemplative read is great for early middle grade, reluctant or tentative readers, or precocious younger students.
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-04322-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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