Review by Booklist Review
Based on an actual 1980 event, Wolf's latest weaves a dazzling tale out of environmental themes, historical backstories in a Louisiana community, buried pirate treasure, and a neurodivergent 12-year-old's vertiginously life-changing stay with a loving but unfamiliar relative. Junius arrives aboard his uncle Spot's houseboat on the shores of Lake Peigneur with a handle--mostly--on his emotional meltdowns but not his fear of being on water. Over the next dozen days, he works on both while meeting a colorfully engaging cast of local residents, experiencing the pleasures of their weekly fais-dodo, learning shocking facts about his family that his reticent mother never shared, and forming new friendships--notably, with teen eco-activist Victoria, who is protesting the oil well being drilled in the lake. Junius shares narrative duties with the lake itself, which, as a tongue-in-cheek alternate ("I am a lake, so let me be clear") slips in historical flashbacks, including a surreptitious 1820 visit by pirate Jean Lafitte; and which, at what becomes a breathlessly suspenseful climax, describes how the oil drillers hit a tunnel in a huge nineteenth-century salt mine--and turned the whole lake into a colossal drain, then a sinkhole that led to a massive flood. Considering the vividly depicted events, the strong cast, and the young protagonist's personal triumphs, there's wow-worthy content aplenty here.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wolf (The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep) blends swashbuckling mystery with ecological disaster in an epic novel about one family's 100-year-old connection with Lake Peigneur, in the Louisiana wetlands. A first-person prologue is narrated by the lake itself; subsequent chapters recount the history of the lake, including the arrival of pirates in 1820, the treasure they buried, and the riddles they left behind. Alternating sections follow 12-year-old Junius Leak in 1980. Spending the summer away from his arguing parents back in Atlanta with his uncle Spot, whom he hadn't previously met, on Spot's houseboat in Delcambre, La., Junius--a highly sensitive person--struggles to manage his fear of water. It becomes more pronounced throughout his stay, aggravating his anxiety and increasing the frequency of his spontaneous vocalizations. Nevertheless, he finds solace in bonding with Uncle Spot and the townsfolk. As Junius wonders why his mother kept him away from Delcambre, he learns of the centuries-old history of drilling and mining in Lake Peigneur, which resurfaces to catastrophic results. Weighty topics such as grief and mental health are empathetically tackled by Wolf, who deploys captivating prose to spin a clever and engrossing adventure. Characters' tender interactions and riveting backstories--enriched with Cajun cultural detail--add texture. Ages 10--14. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lake recounts its historical connections to the family of a boy who's been "exiled to a strange, watery land." "I am a lake, so let me be clear," insists Lake Peigneur, an ancient body of water deep in Louisiana's Mississippi Delta. But for Junius Leak, who's nearly 13 in the summer of 1980, things are far from clear. From the lake's perspective, the reason for the return of the latest in a long line of Junius Leaks to his birthplace is obvious, with origins in 1820, involving pirates and the first infant Junius. While his parents attend a retreat to work on their marriage, the current Junius, who reads white, faces a surprise trip to Delcambre, Louisiana, to stay with a maternal uncle he'd never heard of. Despite upsides, like new friends, Aunt Boudreaux (a sassy and occasionally problematic cat), and firsthand experiences with his special interest (bodies of water), the move has downsides, too, like how terrifying such bodies of water can be up close and the frustrating lack of communication around his biggest family-related questions. Although the term was coined in the mid-1990s, Junius' mom is a self-described "highly sensitive person"; she tells her son, "June Bug…us HSPs have to stick together," and the book includes helpful coping mechanisms. This expansive, multilayered tale combines a pirate treasure mystery, environmental science and activism, Cajun cultural influences, and deep acceptance of and compassion for neurodivergence. An immersive and grounded story of becoming and self-discovery. (author's note, glossary, resources, map)(Adventure. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
