A good read for young nature enthusiasts.
Twelve-year-old Adrianna has a passion for wildlife, so when she has a chance to be on camera for Wild Survival! her family’s new TV show, she jumps at the chance—never guessing it will lead her into the jaws of a wild crocodile.
After running an animal sanctuary and zoo and its companion YouTube channel, the members of the Villalobos family are ready to expand on their social media success: A TV show will help fund their animal rescue program and conservation efforts. With producer Mr. Savage’s go-big-or-go-home attitude, their first stop is the mangroves of Cuba, in search of an injured “Mega Croc.” Based on a floating boat hotel in the wilderness, they begin their search as Adrianna tries to prove that she is ready to help rescue even the most dangerous of animals. The Villaloboses are a loving family whose interactions are enjoyable to observe. Readers will understand Adrianna’s desire to keep up with her older brother, Feye, and prove her competence to her family. Illustrations of typical Cuban flora and fauna (here’s looking at you, hutia!) and fun facts enhance the book; the author clearly did extensive research on the setting. However, the pace is slow at times, and the storyline about dangerous poachers never comes to a head, ultimately feeling like a letdown. Feye, who is adopted, is described as dark-skinned and not looking like the rest of the family members, who are minimally described.
A good read for young nature enthusiasts. (author’s note, animal facts, Spanish glossary) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-63505-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Triumphs, mishaps, and revelations kick this adventure into high gear.
Two young superheroes start a search for their missing mom at a summer camp built next to a volcano. What could go wrong?
Enlisting their friends Beto Moreno and Nara Jenkins—respectively, an aspiring magician and a medal-winning wrestler—to help, fledgling secret super sibs Adeline and Wyatt Flynn enroll at Camp Igneous, conveniently situated at the base of the volcano where their mom might have disappeared four years before. Along with pursuing an investigation, though, the team faces serious competition vying for the titular cup in a series of mentally and physically demanding obstacle courses and other challenges, all while keeping their special powers hidden. The art’s bright colors, overlapping panels, and expressively posed cartoon figures ramp up the pacing and visual energy for a plot that features a series of suspenseful contests capped by encounters with “radioactive goop” and other surprises in the volcano’s crater and hints of a connection between the missing parent and a clandestine group of bad actors called the Quadrant. Stay tuned. Gapstur builds preteen banter, team building, frustrated romance, and even a nearly catastrophic eruption that tests the superkids’ abilities to the utmost into this lively sequel. Wyatt and Adeline are White; the supporting cast includes racial diversity.
Triumphs, mishaps, and revelations kick this adventure into high gear. (Graphic adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781534480322
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Delightfully weird and whimsical.
A 13-year-old girl and a colony of bats overcome losses in this middle-grade debut from Ready Player One author Cline.
After Opal B. Flats’ mother dies, she goes to live with Uncle Roscoe on the family farm in the Texas Hill Country. Her first night there, she has an alien encounter and subsequently discovers that she can communicate with the Mexican free-tailed bats living in a nearby cave. Their connection becomes essential when Opal, Uncle Roscoe, and the bats, through differing circumstances, are forced to find new homes. Opal and Uncle Roscoe, who read white, convince the bats to accompany them to Austin, “the only place in this whole stone-hearted state where weirdos are welcome!” If Opal and Uncle Roscoe have a slow start with fitting in, it’s even more difficult for a colony of over a million bats, especially when prejudice against them is being systematically reinforced by a greedy councilman whose pesticide business suffers when the bats start eating insects. The third-person narration unfolds in a homey style that’s colored with references to music and famous names that contribute to the sense of place, including Ann Richards, Selena, and Willie Nelson. Entries from Opal’s scrapbook are interspersed throughout. Readers will be relieved that, despite the hardships Opal and the bats must overcome, they ultimately prevail, succeeding in making friends and new homes for themselves in this celebratory primer on bats and belonging. Westell’s delicate, atmospheric illustrations greatly enhance the text.
Delightfully weird and whimsical. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780316460583
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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