Nessie may elude us still, but this friendship-driven quest should not do the same.
A summer on Loch Ness might be a dream vacation to some, but to homebody Ada Ru, it’s a nightmare come true.
Ada Ru would much prefer to go to Walt Disney World—or, barring that, to stay at home in Denver with her full life. She tries to ignore her mother’s challenge to “make the best of things” in Scotland but is gradually drawn into the notorious Nessie Race, putting her writer’s instinct to the ultimate test. She befriends Hamish “Hammy” Bean Tibby III, a blind cryptid enthusiast who runs the Nessie Juggernaut newsletter, and Dax Cady, an affably brooding American guitarist. The three kids are determined to be the first to find conclusive evidence of the existence of the elusive Nessie, proving that even a close-knit town like Fort Augustus can hide secrets in its watery depths. Humorously melodramatic, irrepressibly modern Ada Ru perfectly showcases the Old World charm of the Highlands as she comes to love the place and its people. Scots dialect is liberally interspersed throughout, but natural translations render it easily comprehensible. Savage places relationships at the forefront: Family ties, found friendships, and community support give this novel its heart. Darker issues, such as the impact of drug addiction on child-rearing, near-death experiences, and the marginalization of the blind, are tenderly explored alongside the exhilarating fun of the Nessie Race. The cast is white.
Nessie may elude us still, but this friendship-driven quest should not do the same. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-64567-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
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
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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