Lauren’s review of Skunked!

Adorable, quirky, and fun!

Calpurnia Tate is a smart, (if overly fond of the words, “idiot” and “stupid”) protagonist who walks the fine line of not falling into the stereotypical tomboy realm while being adventurous nonetheless. While her many siblings aside from Robert fade into the background, Robert is present throughout most of the story and brings lots of humor, adventure, and sibling bonding into the mix.

The skunks are loveable, largely due to the adorable illustrations which decorate the first page of each chapter. The full-page and other smaller illustrations are all detailed and lively, making this a beautiful book to look at. I can’t wait to read the original Calpurnia Tate books!

Skunked! is a wonderful blend of humor, science, and history. Join vet-in-training, Calpurnia (Callie) and her brother Travis as they find themselves in a bit of a stinky situation rescuing a baby skunk (or two)! Skunked! is the first book in a chapter book series.

Travis brings home an abandoned baby skunk. Will he be able to take care of the skunk and it's little litter mate?

This isn't as good as the earlier books in the series. Very disappointing. ( )

Every now and then, my son and I come across one of the books delivered to me that are a real laugh of a read! I say this in a positive way about Skunked by Jacqueline Kelly. This book is part of the Girl Vet series and it's a fun, short read for elementary readers and to read to the young'ns!

The story is about an only girl, in a large family of boys. Because they live on a farm, she carries a great interest in caring for animals of all sorts. So does her youngest brother, Travis. As a matter of fact, it's Travis who gets her into a situation where they end up caring for a baby skunk. With the mother nowhere nearby, they take the kit home and Callie (short for Calpurnia) is on the job. Finding out what's best in the caring for a baby skunk, they set off on keeping the little critter a secret. But skunks have a way of making themselves known...

The story is so cute and funny. Though we're past picture books, the line drawings are unique and fit the story to a "T". I think we loved the ending the most because that's when somehing HUGE happens that's über-funny. We laughed for quite a while, during our discussion. The book is also great in that it brought up quite a bit for us to discuss, concerning animals and care. Also- we had no clue baby skunks were called kits!. We won't get the other books, because it's below our reading skills, but for anyone who's got a child in 4th grade or below, this is one they'd enjoy!

I'm on to the next read. Check out Skunked!📚

*For the full review: www.areneehunt.com
Skunked: Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet series
Jacqueline Kelly
Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
October 4, 2016 ( )