McClung (Old Bet and the Start of the American Circus, 1993, etc.) offers a sweeping historical view of wildlife from the time of the emergence of the first humans to the present, with brief profiles of animals from all the continents and discussions of 62 large endangered animals. He concludes with a plea for wise stewardship of Earth. As with many attempts to compress coverage of billions of years into relatively few pages, there are some oversimplifications that lead to questionable statements. It's not certain, for example, that ``Cro-Magnon man worshipped the wild creatures that he depended on for food.'' The tone can be shrill, with repeated references to human arrogance and ``the cycle of human greed and illegal overkill,'' and the terminology (including the old-fashioned designation of ``primitive'' and ``advanced'' societies) and conclusions seem dated. A selected bibliography is provided, but quotes in the text appear without footnotes, making it difficult to determine the source of statements. (maps, index, not seen, b&w illustrations, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: July 15, 1997
ISBN: 0-208-02452-2
Page Count: 280
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fast and furious.
Proud, stubborn, and lonely 17-year-old Sena Korhosen survives by picking pockets.
The only thing Sena wants is to save enough money to get off-world, far away from Tundar, an unforgiving planet of electrical storms and bitter cold. When she crosses a cruel crime boss, he offers her clemency—if she can rehabilitate his vicious, prizefighting she-wolf. It’s not a task she feels up to, but she has no other choice if she wants to escape to a better life. After a near-fatal turn of events, Sena finds herself in charge of the stolen she-wolf and agreeing to do the one thing she swore she’d never do: take part in a deadly 1,000-mile race to reach valuable exocarbon deposits, the same race that claimed her mothers’ lives five years before. Sena may not have a lot, but with the wolf Iska by her side, she has a lot to lose and even more to gain. The action scenes are so fast-paced as to cause whiplash, while quieter interludes slow down enough to allow readers to catch their breath. There is no romantic subplot—instead, the growing trust between Sena and Iska is the focus. The worldbuilding is intricate, and the icy setting is so detailed that readers will feel the need to bundle up as they speed through to the exciting and satisfying conclusion. Main characters are assumed White; some secondary characters have brown skin.
Fast and furious. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-78506-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
KJ, 16, has enviable wilderness skills honed by years of fishing and guiding tourists through Yellowstone National Park. A city boy named Virgil has come to the small Montana town where she’s lived all her life, though, shaking things up. Virgil and his mother get KJ involved in wolf watching, and KJ, who is also the editor of her school paper, starts a column about wolves that divides the town. Many residents have lost livestock and therefore livelihood to wolves, and they’re not receptive to the idea that wolves might be a crucial part of the local food chain. As a character, KJ is often sullen and not endearing, but her brains and bravery when standing up for the wolves are admirable—although the author occasionally gets heavy-handed as she hammers home the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs. Despite their differing backgrounds, Virgil and KJ’s up-and-down romance is one of emotional and intellectual equals, lending real strength to this environmentally themed rural twist on the typical suburban love story. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 13, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-670-01142-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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