The lizard war

Gr 2-5-Max, a budding entomologist, suddenly finds himself transported to an island where human-size, talking bugs and lizards are engaged in an all-out war. Max and his knowledge of all things insect-related may be the only hope to save the bugs from the lizard invaders. Action-packed, with occasional illustrations and lots of white space, this entry is ideal for newly independent and reluctant readers. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Budding entomologist Max Darwin makes a wishand finds himself on Bug Island, where the local insects are threatened by an invasion of hungry reptiles and amphibians. With little preliminary ado, Patton hands his young protagonist a fascinating old insect encyclopedia and a very special magnifying glass that shrinks him to proper size and plunks him down amid Bug Island's beleaguered arthropods. It seems a volcanic eruption has laid a land bridge between the island and the neighboring Reptilian Empireallowing a horde of insect-eating creatures led by roaring Gen. Komodo to cross over. Can Max use his big brain to find a way to save new friends Barton, a titan beetle, genial emperor scorpion Spike, shy trap-door spider Webster, and the rest of the island's diverse cast of six- or eight-legged residents from becoming a buggy banquet? And will he be able to get back to his original size and home? That would be yes and yesfollowing plenty of furious but fatality-free fighting and some ingenious further bridge building that puts a river between the bugs and their scaly nemeses. But the war's not over yet; stay tuned for return visits in two planned sequels. Finished illustrations not seen, but in samples, Bean draws Max as a dark-skinned, black-haired boy. Furnished with a light wash of natural science, a buggy, action-oriented adventure that goes light on the gore and gross bits. (Fantasy. 8-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.