Kacy Cook

children's fiction; animal stories. I would've liked this more if it didn't sound like a 12 year old wrote it. Your hair is dark and curly and long? Fine, but that doesn't add anything to the story and I'd just as soon not have these kinds of unnecessary details. Perhaps it does matter to a 12-year-old, however (maybe someone's daughter demanded that these sorts of minutiae got included), and I don't think a child would think it detracts from the story at all, but I feel like the best children's fiction should be enjoyable to all ages. I do get the sense that the author has done her research, at least, on the behavior of squirrels, and it is not a bad animal story otherwise.… (altro)

Big Kid Reaction: The author is a good writer and tells a nice story. I liked that there were several layers to the story, both in terms of events and character relationships. The dynamic between Russ and Nell is particularly insightful, as it offers both sides to the hunter / hate hunter scenario and you see both sides of the story. It isn't often that we have characters who are home schooled, so this is a book where they can see themselves. Overall, this was an Okay book, but not one I'd recommend to all teens.

Pros: This is a well-told, wholesome story about life and choices. Teens who are home-schooled will see themselves in Nell and her brothers. This is an excellent choice for animal-crazed kids who tend to see wild animals as pets.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.… (altro)

This is a story all animal lovers will enjoy. Eleven year old Nell and her two brothers rescue two squirrels who have somehow managed to fall from their nests. Nell's mom and dad agree to let them keep them for a while so they can gain strength and learn to fend for themselves. Nell contacts someone named Libby online. Libby tells Nell she should take them to a wildlife rehabilitator. Nell tells a few lies about why she can't do that and that she needs to leave her parents out of it. We are taken on a journey of help and healing. The first thing I was reminded of was a day when a baby screech owl fell from his nest hitting my son on the shoulder before he hit the ground. We placed him back in the nest where a group of blue jays immediately attacked him and he once again fell from his nest. At this point we picked him up with a towel and placed him in a box and called the bird sanctuary. They came and got him and we were able to visit him at the sanctuary and watch his progress. I hope that the students who read this will learn to love nature a little more and also learn they need to seek professional help in the event something like this happens.… (altro)