A witty, energetic story that’s as educational as it is entertaining.
In the continuation of Mason’s (Lone Wolf, 2016, etc.) middle-grade fantasy series, young Jackson Wolfe tries to prevent a hostile wolf pack and poachers from harming his family and animal friends.
England-born Jackson has truly found his place in the magical Oregon valley called Oldenglen, where he and his family make their home. Thanks to a wolf bite that his father sustained as a child, Jackson has heightened senses of smell and hearing. He’s the perfect intermediary between the glen’s “woodfolk” animals and humans, particularly because he also possesses the powerful Gladestone, which grants him the ability to converse with wildlife. But not all the animals are friendly—an unknown wolf pack, led by Rogue, is planning to settle in the glen. Not only could the woodfolk become the wolves’ prey, but the pack’s presence, so close to humans, could also attract hunters. Meanwhile, poachers have snatched a fledgling eagle named Windlord from the glen. Jackson organizes a rescue mission, but he may be losing the woodfolk’s trust; he wants to drive Rogue’s pack away without any killing, while some animals would prefer letting gun-happy humans take care of the problem. With help from his human pal, Sarah Lopez, Jackson struggles to ensure everyone’s safety, including his own. Mason’s third series installment offers another rousing Oldenglen tale. The story starts quickly—Jackson spots the unfamiliar wolf pack in the very first chapter—and a handful of animal and human villains help maintain a perpetual sense of menace. Overall, it’s a breezy read that’s filled with welcome moments of humor, as when Notch, the black-tailed jackrabbit, says, “I’m all ears.” Readers will sympathize with Jackson’s ongoing struggle with his own identity; a few animals think him to be a wolf sympathizer, while the vicious Rogue abhors his human side. Mason also presents a motley, offbeat assortment of characters, including a vole and saw-whet owl, which may encourage young readers to do further research on unfamiliar species.
A witty, energetic story that’s as educational as it is entertaining.Pub Date: April 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9948371-6-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tricklewood Press
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In this riveting futuristic novel, Spaz, a teenage boy with epilepsy, makes a dangerous journey in the company of an old man and a young boy. The old man, Ryter, one of the few people remaining who can read and write, has dedicated his life to recording stories. Ryter feels a kinship with Spaz, who unlike his contemporaries has a strong memory; because of his epilepsy, Spaz cannot use the mind probes that deliver entertainment straight to the brain and rot it in the process. Nearly everyone around him uses probes to escape their life of ruin and poverty, the result of an earthquake that devastated the world decades earlier. Only the “proovs,” genetically improved people, have grass, trees, and blue skies in their aptly named Eden, inaccessible to the “normals” in the Urb. When Spaz sets out to reach his dying younger sister, he and his companions must cross three treacherous zones ruled by powerful bosses. Moving from one peril to the next, they survive only with help from a proov woman. Enriched by Ryter’s allusions to nearly lost literature and full of intriguing, invented slang, the skillful writing paints two pictures of what the world could look like in the future—the burned-out Urb and the pristine Eden—then shows the limits and strengths of each. Philbrick, author of Freak the Mighty (1993) has again created a compelling set of characters that engage the reader with their courage and kindness in a painful world that offers hope, if no happy endings. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-439-08758-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
Hillenbrand takes license with the familiar song (the traditional words and music are reproduced at the end) to tell an enchanting story about baby animals picked up by the train and delivered to the children’s zoo. The full-color drawings are transportingly jolly, while the catchy refrain—“See the engine driver pull his little lever”—is certain to delight readers. Once the baby elephant, flamingo, panda, tiger, seal, and kangaroo are taken to the zoo by the train, the children—representing various ethnic backgrounds, and showing one small girl in a wheelchair—arrive. This is a happy book, filled with childhood exuberance. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201804-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
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