A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
Roll out the barrel of monkeys—no, wait, make that one spunky monkey named Willa, short for Princess Willoughby Wallaby Fluff (she wears a tiara), who has a one-day adventure, à la Bill and Ted’s Excellent one, monkey style. Telling her story from her monkey's-eye point-of-view, Willa relates her fascination with the humans in the neighboring zoo cage, especially when they leave treasures behind, like mittens or candy bars. When a boy named Carter leaves his new school backpack by accident, Willa jumps the enclosure in an effort to find him and return it. A wild chase ensues on the backs of cars and atop buses, with a young chipmunk, self-named "Chipmunkey" after calling itself first Willa, then Carter, riding in the pack and giving advice when they get lost in Human City. Sly references to human behavior are particularly witty. Kids will enjoy this silly "monkey business," the third in the Animal Tales series, and find it armpit-fart funny. Black-and-white drawings not seen. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59990-557-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cast of colorful characters and a satisfying ending will leave readers wondering whose story is next.
Kerrin, author of the Martin Bridge chapter-book series, aims for a slightly older audience in this first installment of a planned trilogy.
Set in a fictional Nova Scotia fishing village, the books will examine, through the eyes of three separate boys, how their life changes with the capture of a gargantuan lobster. Graeme Swinimer’s father catches a gigantic lobster with antennae that resemble bicycle spokes. Later that day, obnoxious classmate Norris Fowler coerces Graeme into tracking down the person responsible for stealing their teacher’s prize cactus. In return, Norris promises that his father will pay top dollar for the behemoth, which will be auctioned to the highest bidder at the town’s annual lobster festival. Eager for the prize money, Graeme, a budding marine biologist, will finally be able to visit Big Fish Aquarium. When he discovers that 30 years ago another local lobsterman captured a huge lobster, Graeme wonders if it could be the same crustacean. Kerrin's writing will appeal to those who enjoy a more thoughtful, less action-packed story. She conveys a believable plot with minimal text that's driven by spot-on dialogue. Engaged readers will relate to Graeme’s inner struggle whether to let the crustacean be mounted or "lower the trap" to set it free.
A cast of colorful characters and a satisfying ending will leave readers wondering whose story is next. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-576-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
