This review was written by teacher Elizabeth Cook.
Written by Terry Lynn Johnson
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
978-0-358334859
208 pp.
Ages 8-12
April 2021
I
am a big animal lover. My friends know to send me cute animal videos
from the internet, my trips are often centered around animal experiences
(e.g., diving with sharks, trekking with gorillas), and I volunteer for
a local cat rescue organization. When I was young, our house was the
stray cat and dog sanctuary of the neighbourhood. It seemed that all
local cats knew we couldn’t say no to helping them find forever homes
(which usually was our own). So, it should be no surprise that I was
immediately taken in by Terry Lynn Johnson’s Rescue at Lake Wild.
Between the cover image of a girl on a paddle board alongside two
beavers and a boat with two boys and a dog, and the first page alluding
to an animal whisperer, I was captivated.
Twelve-year-old Madison Lewis and her friends Aaron and Jack, accompanied by Jack's tracking dog Lid, have been watching a beaver house where they'd earlier heard kits crying. Having found the adult beavers shot, the kids are worried that the adults may have been the kits' only family and are trying to decide if they should rescue the little ones. Madison, well known as an animal whisperer, knows it's best for wild animals to remain in the wild but, as night draws near, Madison follows her personal motto: "If you see something, do something.” So she ends up diving down into the depths of the darkened beaver dam to save two orphaned beaver kits she affectionately names Cooler and Phragmites (Phrag). Together the trio of young people work to secretly save the beaver kits and discover those responsible for killing the adult beavers and for flooding the roadways in town, knowing the beavers weren't responsible for the damage seen around town.
Using the knowledge she learned from her grandmother on raising and caring for beaver kits, Madison sets up a secret habitat in her clubhouse, determined to safely release the kits later into the wild. But Madison has to keep this secret from her older sister and mother, especially as her mother has told her that Madison could go and see her hero, Jane Goodall, speak only if she can resist rescuing more animals. Madison may dream of being the next Jane Goodall but she's already too dedicated to Cooler and Phrag to give up on them, and she's willing to risk it all to save them. Meanwhile, Aaron, Jack and Lid work to solve the mystery of the flooding around town, which is harder than expected because most adults won’t listen to a couple of kids who are sure that humans are responsible for the destruction, not the beavers.
Terry Lynn Johnson’s Rescue at Lake Wild is a great novel for middle grade readers. The story focuses on how children learn to do what is right and help others while solving a town mystery. Because the theme of animal stewardship permeates the whole story, Rescue at Lake Wild is a great book for any animal lover you might know. I especially liked the “Dos of Wildlife” at the back of the book which will help guide animal champions to properly care for wildlife and where to go for more reliable information on the topic. This will be a great book to read during the upcoming cottage season!
Twelve-year-old Madison Lewis and her friends Aaron and Jack, accompanied by Jack's tracking dog Lid, have been watching a beaver house where they'd earlier heard kits crying. Having found the adult beavers shot, the kids are worried that the adults may have been the kits' only family and are trying to decide if they should rescue the little ones. Madison, well known as an animal whisperer, knows it's best for wild animals to remain in the wild but, as night draws near, Madison follows her personal motto: "If you see something, do something.” So she ends up diving down into the depths of the darkened beaver dam to save two orphaned beaver kits she affectionately names Cooler and Phragmites (Phrag). Together the trio of young people work to secretly save the beaver kits and discover those responsible for killing the adult beavers and for flooding the roadways in town, knowing the beavers weren't responsible for the damage seen around town.
Using the knowledge she learned from her grandmother on raising and caring for beaver kits, Madison sets up a secret habitat in her clubhouse, determined to safely release the kits later into the wild. But Madison has to keep this secret from her older sister and mother, especially as her mother has told her that Madison could go and see her hero, Jane Goodall, speak only if she can resist rescuing more animals. Madison may dream of being the next Jane Goodall but she's already too dedicated to Cooler and Phrag to give up on them, and she's willing to risk it all to save them. Meanwhile, Aaron, Jack and Lid work to solve the mystery of the flooding around town, which is harder than expected because most adults won’t listen to a couple of kids who are sure that humans are responsible for the destruction, not the beavers.
Terry Lynn Johnson’s Rescue at Lake Wild is a great novel for middle grade readers. The story focuses on how children learn to do what is right and help others while solving a town mystery. Because the theme of animal stewardship permeates the whole story, Rescue at Lake Wild is a great book for any animal lover you might know. I especially liked the “Dos of Wildlife” at the back of the book which will help guide animal champions to properly care for wildlife and where to go for more reliable information on the topic. This will be a great book to read during the upcoming cottage season!
~ Reviewer Elizabeth Cook is a teacher in the Halton District School
Board. She is an avid reader and fan of Canadian literature.
A book the middle grade animal lover in our family will just love. Thanks for the great review, Elizabeth.
ReplyDelete