Tag: Karen-Hood-Caddy • BookLikes

review 2018-03-08 15:50

They run The Wild Place Animal Shelter and when I say run, I literally mean these individuals, run. They are constantly moving to assist or comfort the many animals that need their attention. Some of the animals are brought in to them by individuals who drop them off, some are animals who are anonymously dropped off at the shelter, and some are animals who are called in by individuals and the shelter must drive out and makes an animal rescue. Either way, this animal shelter is nonstop action.

In the mail one day they receive a letter from Carlos, a conservationist from Costa Rica who needs their help. The Leatherback Turtles are near extinction and he wants to build a turtle sanctuary. Can they come and help him? Excitement hits the air as some of the shelter employees see this as an opportunity to do something abroad and they immediately start planning. Reality slowly begins to trickle in as they begin to grasp the whole concept of what awaits them in Costa Rica.

I thought this was a fun novel to read. I liked the idea of the unknown and how the group themselves didn’t know all the answers before they set out on their trip. What would they find in Costa Rica? There are poisonous spiders in that area, would they be ready for that? There a huge concern about poachers stealing the eggs and what if they ran into these dangerous individuals out at night on their mission? What about the language barrier they thought they faced? I liked learning about the Leatherback Turtles and the poachers and I liked how the animal shelter worked with Carlos to put his sanctuary on the map so it could be successful.

This novel moved quickly without a lot of extra characters. This was an adventurous, entertaining read about saving wildlife and I think young readers will enjoy it.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Dundurn in exchange for an honest review.

review 2014-01-29 11:21

The Truth About Brave

Book-lectic

Summary:

No one is more passionate about rescuing hurt animals than Robin, except maybe her best friend Zo-Zo, who helps Robin run the family's animal shelter, The Wild Place. When the two of them discover that a neighbour's chicken farm is really a factory farm, they both want to stop it. Zo-Zo argues that radical action is required, but Robin is worried about getting into trouble with her dad, or even worse, the local sheriff. Is it ever okay to break the law to stand up for what you believe in? And if it is, how will she find the courage to do what's right, even when others think she's wrong?

Review:

The Truth About Brave is the wonderful story of Robin and her family and friends as they go through the different trials of growing up and making a change in the world. I especially loved this cast of characters and have a special fondness for Griff, the lovable grandmother and her particularly moving speech about what being brave actually means. I was not sure about this book when I first started reading it because it tackles some pretty heavy topics: animal cruelty, mourning the death of a parent, eating disorders, talking to strangers online, and the terrifying topic of public speaking. I was hoping that the author would not treat them lightly and make them seem easy to deal with. I am so happy to report that all the topics were handled in an absolutely brilliant way. This book would be perfect for reading with your pre-teen/teen or even for schools to use in class as it brings up important things for great discussions. I will definitely go back and read the first book, Howl, and will definitely invest in these for my personal library.