How to be brave

Daisy May Johnson

Book - 2021

When her mother, the world's leading expert on ducks, goes missing, Calla North must outwit the headmistress at her new boarding school to find her mom, with the help of a few new friends and a motley crew of resourceful nuns.

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Subjects
Genres
Children's stories
Published
New York : GodwinBooks, Henry Holt and Company 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Daisy May Johnson (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
280 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781250796080
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--7--Calla North's life is far from normal, for Calla's mom Elizabeth is a world-renowned duck expert. Calla's world, however, doesn't revolve around her mom's academic knowledge and the sparse income her mother brings in--often not enough to keep food in the cupboards and the utilities on. When Elizabeth is offered a chance to earn a substantial fee by participating in a research project that requires the team to work in South America, Calla is sent to her mother's old boarding school run by the Good Sisters. Much to Calla's delight, they are not your average congregation of nuns. The Good Sisters believe that every girl matters, and that one day they will change the world. So along with the obvious lessons on morality and academics, there's training in much-needed life skills like baking--and helicopter maintenance! Amid all the new changes that Calla has to face, two stand out. One is that the school's new headmistress has changed the rules so much that it's moving the students and faculty toward a revolt. Another is that no one has heard from Calla's mom, namely Calla. Told through the voice of the Good Sister June who plays a very special role in the lives of Calla and her mom, this seamlessly woven narrative features plenty of glimpses into British life and humor. The use of footnotes as a kind of sidebar conversation to the story line adds another layer of fun. VERDICT Both the young and the young-at-heart will find delight in the traditional good vs. evil depicted in the form of the most villainous of villains and a host of spunky female characters who are persistent enough to save the day.--Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden M.S., Newport News, VA

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A rare and valuable duck, a kidnapping, mysterious notes to decipher, and plenty of baked goods propel the action from an English boarding school to the Amazon. Orphaned Elizabeth attends the School of the Good Sisters, where she has many good friends--and one notable foe. Elizabeth finds a duck with a broken wing, which she mends before she frees it. Fast-forward to find Elizabeth raising her daughter, Calla, with little money but lots of love. An opportunity arises for Elizabeth to travel to the Amazon to study Mallardus Amazonica, the same species of duck as the one she rescued years earlier. Calla is packed off to the Good Sisters, where one teacher is a former friend of her mother's. The pace quickens when Elizabeth is kidnapped in a nefarious plot and Calla's classmates and the Good Sisters band together in a rush of mayhem and mischief to rescue her. Sweet treats, classic books like Ballet Shoes, and the intrigue of secret tunnels add to the atmosphere. The narrator, one of the nuns at the school, puts herself squarely in the action and fills the pages with footnotes, humorous, whimsical asides that are integral to the story. Fans of Eva Ibbotson, British baking shows, and boarding school stories will happily immerse themselves in this cozily familiar setting. Main characters present as White. An entertaining and humorous adventure. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.