An unsubtle but absorbing story about animal rehabilitation, the state of the world, fear, achievement, and trust. When 14-year-old Shannon and her little brother Cody are sent to visit Uncle Neal for the summer, they have no idea that they’ll end up speeding around the greater Seattle area in an animal ambulance, rescuing various raccoons, beavers, bear cubs, and birds of prey that have been injured or orphaned. Adventure begins when Uncle Neal is injured by a hawk and Shannon takes over the rescues, wrestling a bear cub down from the rafters of a shed, rappelling down a cliff to rescue a seal, and talking a coyote out of an elevator in a downtown building. Cody loves the animals but continues to dream about the September 11 terrorist attacks, which he witnessed in person from a cliff in New Jersey. His subsequent obsession with disasters of all kinds exists alongside Shannon’s fear for her parents, who have gone to Pakistan and Afghanistan to help refugees, and for Uncle Neal, whom she learns has been concealing an illness. Meanwhile, Tyler, a 15-year-old boy working at the wildlife refuge, is afraid of his violent father—just as Neal has fears about Tyler himself, who previously abused animals. Messages about the precariousness of safety and life are not subtle, but the narrative takes on no more than it can handle; animals are front and center, politics are straightforward if simple, and characters are likable. A slight awkwardness regarding race is unfortunate. Seattle-specific details ensure special fans among Seattle readers as well as among wild animal enthusiasts. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-68-817474-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2003
A 10-year old girl learns to adjust to a strange town, makes some fascinating friends, and fills the empty space in her heart thanks to a big old stray dog in this lyrical, moving, and enchanting book by a fresh new voice. India Opal’s mama left when she was only three, and her father, “the preacher,” is absorbed in his own loss and in the work of his new ministry at the Open-Arms Baptist Church of Naomi [Florida]. Enter Winn-Dixie, a dog who “looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.” But, this dog had a grin “so big that it made him sneeze.” And, as Opal says, “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Miss Franny Block, an elderly lady whose papa built her a library of her own when she was just a little girl and she’s been the librarian ever since. Then, there’s nearly blind Gloria Dump, who hangs the empty bottle wreckage of her past from the mistake tree in her back yard. And, Otis, oh yes, Otis, whose music charms the gerbils, rabbits, snakes and lizards he’s let out of their cages in the pet store. Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow and hope. And, it’s funny, too. A real gem. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0776-2
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
SEEN & HEARD
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.
Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
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