Before 1800, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's distinctive call and rap could be heard throughout the river and swamp forests of the southeastern US; the last documented sighting of the great black-and-white bird was in 1944, when an Audubon Society artist sadly painted the last remaining female in a Louisiana swamp. In the intervening years, humans wiped out both bird and habitat, forcing extinction. With power and humor, rage and sorrow, the narrative details the demise of the Lord God bird (so-called by some because of its awe-inspiring flight), braiding into its tale the stories of those who came into contact with it, from J.J. Audubon himself to James Tanner, the Cornell fellow whose pioneering study of the bird sparked conservationists' understanding that preservation of species requires preservation of habitat. Hoose packs just the right amount of information into his text, chronicling the rise of the Audubon Society out of the Plume Wars and the twin impacts of Reconstruction and WWII on southern forests with equal ease. Sidebars add engrossing details, and extensive back matter bespeaks exemplary nonfiction. But it's the author's passion that compels, till the reader is on the edge of the seat, hoping against history that the Ivory-bill will be saved. Outstanding in every way. (Timeline, glossary, chapter notes, index.) (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2004
ISBN: 0-374-36173-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2004
PERSPECTIVES
Too much hat, not enough cowboy.
A dystopian flip of colonialism mixes with horses on fire.
In the Empire, the dark-skinned Ashlords are a minority but have all the power. Each year they stage a spectacular multiday race on phoenixes—horses that rise from ashes at dawn only to die in flames each night. Pippa, the teen daughter of former winners, is this year’s favorite, but she’s challenged by Adrian, a tough Longhand cowboy from an oppressed group of rebels, and Imelda, the lone Dividian given free entry into the contest. The light-skinned Dividian were invaders who failed to conquer and who now live subject to the Ashlords (who credit their superiority to the intervention of their many gods). Phoenixes can have magical powers, depending on what you add to their ashes. It’s a lot of stuff crammed into one novel. Reintgen (Saving Fable, 2019, etc.) fits it all in, mostly (the gods never do make sense), with economical, crisp writing, at the expense of character development and overall clarity. The most well-developed relationship, between Imelda and her friend Farian, is abandoned after the first chapters. The worldbuilding falters, too: They have sophisticated computerized technology, including holograms and video streaming, but rely on horses and carriages for all transportation. It requires close reading to understand that the pale, invading Dividian majority are oppressed; the facts are told piecemeal without the analysis that might have given readers insights into our own world's history of colonialism
Too much hat, not enough cowboy. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11917-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Congolese-American Sophie makes a harrowing trek through a war-torn jungle to protect a young bonobo.
On her way to spend the summer at the bonobo sanctuary her mother runs, 14-year-old Sophie rescues a sickly baby bonobo from a trafficker. Though her Congolese mother is not pleased Sophie paid for the ape, she is proud that Sophie works to bond with Otto, the baby. A week before Sophie's to return home to her father in Miami, her mother must take advantage
of a charter flight to relocate some apes, and she leaves Sophie with Otto and the sanctuary workers. War breaks out, and after missing a U.N. flight out, Sophie must hide herself and Otto from violent militants and starving villagers. Unable to take Otto out of the country, she decides finding her mother hundreds of miles to the north is her only choice. Schrefer jumps from his usual teen suspense to craft this well-researched tale of jungle survival set during a fictional conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Realistic characters (ape and human) deal with disturbing situations described in graphic, but never gratuitous detail. The lessons Sophie learns about her childhood home, love and what it means to be endangered will resonate with readers.
Even if some hairbreadth escapes test credulity, this is a great next read for fans of our nearest ape cousins or survival adventure. (map, author's note, author Q&A) (Adventure. 12-16)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-16576-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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