Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Picture a world where it's always a "good day to be indoors," where field trips are taken through VR goggles, and your water usage is monitored by tickets. Set on the coast of Maine close to what was once the Atlantic Ocean but is now referred to as the "New Dead Sea," this cautionary tale raises the question: Is this the (not-so-distant) future? Rosenberg takes readers on an adventure with Ahab and his friends on a quest to find what they think is the last bullfrog in North America. This humorous adventure is filled with laughs as well as thought-provoking details about climate change and conservation. Story lines involving friends and "frenemies" alike root the book in contemporary tween concerns while prompting them to ask how they can help the planet. VERDICT A quick read and one that will grab readers' attention from the first page and hold it to the end; a strong purchase for any library that wants to keep up with the environmental times.--Joanne Albano, Commack P.L., NY
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Four seventh graders go on an adventure to save what they think may be the last bullfrog in Maine. It is the mid-to-late 21st century, and climate change has suffocated the town of Blue Harbor, Maine. The ocean is toxic, the sun is scalding, and the natural world is decimated. When Leroy Varney, paddling a canoe he made for a school project, stumbles across a live lobster in a stream on an island near the town, he brings it back to try to save it, but it is taken away by the Environmental Police Force--an inept government agency tasked with "PROTECTING THE WORLD FROM YOU; PROTECTING YOU FROM THE WORLD." Friends Jonathan "Ahab" Goldstein (who is the first-person narrator), Delphinium "Delph" Perez, and Davy Hudson convince Leroy to paddle them out to the island to see if anything else is alive. When they find a solitary bullfrog, they decide to take matters into their own hands, leading them into more adventure than they've ever had in their lives. Along the way they experience a less-decimated natural world and learn about the power of friendship, trust, and, most importantly, hope. Add to this solid theme occasional social irony and the story sparkles like a gem. Davy is cued as Black and Delph as Latinx; other main characters default to White. In turns adroitly funny and heartbreakingly sad but ultimately inspiring. (Fiction. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
