A diverting combination of ecology and spirituality, despite a few snags.
In this second middle-grade novel in a series, a girl learns more about her shared destiny with a hawk.
Claire, who’s nearly 12, moved to a small town in Pennsylvania six months ago. She’s always had a long-standing, special connection with birds, but it deepened after she met Jerry, a 71-year-old Earth wizard and Guardian of the Woods. Through him, she discovered that her fate is bound to that of Ku-Khain, a female red-tailed hawk. Jerry believes that Claire must learn to enter the Now, a spiritual state “outside of time and space,” to receive a message from Ku-Khain, and although he insists that entering the Now is “as natural as breathing,” Claire doubts herself. Billionaire ornithologist Robert Crawley dreams of adding the nearly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker to his life list of personally identified birds, so Claire offers her special help (“Jerry says I keep birds in my heart and that makes them come to me”). Crawley takes Claire and two of her friends, Victor and Billy,with him on an expedition to find the woodpecker in White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, where the bird was last seen. Although not everything goes as planned, Claire moves further along in her spiritual journey. As in the previous volume, An Odd Bird (2020), Butler draws well-informed connections with environmental issues. This sequel presents Claire with several obstacles that tie in nicely with her age, such as the fact that she has a distracting crush on the ornithologist. Similarly, Claire isn’t an automatic virtuoso but is appropriately fledglinglike in how she tries to master her abilities. A few narrative obstacles feel contrived, though, as when Butler withholds important information for flimsy reasons. The prose style can also be awkward at times, as when the author uses the word jettison to mean jump or employs belabored descriptions: “ ‘I have to go!’ she whined, linking her strange behavior to a biological urgency.”
A diverting combination of ecology and spirituality, despite a few snags.Pub Date: March 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9820342-5-5
Page Count: 150
Publisher: Pinchey House Press
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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