written & illustrated by Fred Koehler
288 pages; ages 8-12
Boyds Mills Press, 2018
I was captivated by this book from page one, when we're introduced to Archibald Shrew. He's pedaling through the waves on his newly-invented sea cycle - "a pair of plastic bottles, poked through with Popsicle sticks and tongue depressors like paddle wheels" with rubber band belts, a framework of plastic tubing, and propelled by a coiled spring.
Next best thing to having a shrew as a main character is having an inventive shrew. Until those inventions go bolly-wonkers and cause all kinds of trouble.
Fred Koehler's debut middle grade novel is the first in a new series. Take one garbage patch, add an assortment of animals that normally don't live together, and force them to coexist in a community. Toss in an enemy, a kidnapping, a spider invasion, and mix well with politics and you've got a recipe for a fun, adventuresome read.
This book makes you want to raid the recycling bin to invent your own machines. Hopefully it will shine a light on a serious problem: the Pacific garbage patches. And while there aren't any shrew communities living on those patches - at least none that we know of - you might want to learn more about plastic in the ocean and its impact on wildlife. This post from the Smithsonian Institution is a good place to start.
Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle , so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.
This sounds like a terrific book with good messages. Thanks for the reveiw.
ReplyDeleteI just saw this book and was wondering about it. An important topic treated in a kid-friendly way. Patricia Newman has a good nonfiction book to pair this with called PLASTIC AHOY!
ReplyDeleteI love pairing fiction and nonfiction. Plastic Ahoy is a good choice!
DeleteI enjoyed this one, too. A great plot highlighting a real problem in the Pacific. Thanks for featuring.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a terrific read, with a great adventure and an important subject! Two books today about inventors.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun book. Thanks for telling us about it.
ReplyDeleteI can see kids being drawn to this book from the title and cover. It sounds like a fun one with a good message.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting premise for a MG novel. I enjoy books where the main characters are making things with recyclables as I believe it encourages readers to do the same. Thanks for sharing for MMGM!
ReplyDeleteThat's partly what drew me into the story - the creative engineering with recycled materials.
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