Review by Booklist Review
For Max, it's not easy being the son of a larger-than-life politician, forever in the public spotlight and never living up to his dad's expectations. So, when he gets to travel with his mom for the summer to coastal Texas, Max is happy to fade from the spotlight for a few months. Soon after arriving, he finds an injured octopus and works with locals to save her. This endeavor helps grow Max's confidence, convictions, and interpersonal abilities. In her newest tale, Kelly (Song for a Whale, 2019) does what she does best--getting to the hearts of kids who are aching to be themselves and submerging them in challenging situations that help them shine. Boasting a combination of family dynamics, new friendships, animal husbandry, challenging choices, and coming of age, this will resonate with readers who enjoy diving into realistic fiction with a side of animal love. A solid purchase that Kelly's fans will gobble up and librarians will find easy to booktalk. Sensitive readers may appreciate knowing that animal death occurs in this story.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Max Conway struggles with self-image, feeling unable to live up to his councilman father's expectations around sports, academics, or his own potential career in politics. While spending the summer on an island off the Gulf Coast with his marine biologist mother, Max seeks to create his own identity. The 12-year-old's resolve is put to the test when, during his first excursion to the shore, he finds a beached octopus. Overcome by a sense of duty and empathy, Max and local boy Emmett rush the creature to the island vet, subsequently saving its life. Animal-lover Max is soon drawn into the animal rehabilitation community, befriending the doctors, developing a tender friendship with an indefatigable tween local called Ollie Mae, and forging a surprising kinship with the injured octopus, which the group names Ursula. As the summer comes to an end, however, and the octopus's condition grows complicated, Max is forced to confront difficult truths about the natural world. Interspersing lightly scientific marine biology--related asides among emotionally earnest first-person narration and conversations between Max and his new friends, Kelly (The Secret Language of Birds) tells a gentle, sweet-hearted tale of a tween managing personal responsibility and finding his own voice. Max reads as white; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 8--12. Agent: Molly O'Neill, Root Literary. (Oct.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
What begins as an octopus rescue mission becomes a summer of life-changing friendship and self-discovery. Max is tired of being Little Max, always in the shadow of Big Max, his glad-handing, big-shot city council member father. He's ready for a fresh start, spending the summer with his mom on her graduate school research trip. They're headed to a place on the Gulf Coast of Texas called Lafitte Island, which for Max feels full of possibility. During his first exploration of the island, Max comes across a beached octopus on the shore, barely alive. His quick thinking and empathetic determination set the course for his entire summer. Max enlists Emmett, a YouTuber with a channel called "Stuff I Found on the Beach," for help with octopus transport. Emmett leads him to Ollie Mae and her family, who run a vet clinic on the island. But Max's bond with his octopus--whom Ollie Mae names Ursula after the sea witch fromThe Little Mermaid--becomes the most transformative part of his summer. As he cares for Ursula at the clinic, he also figures out how to care for himself--learning to speak up, be himself, and let go. Full of heart, a dash of science, and plenty of octopus antics, this story is a tender, bittersweet reminder that growth can come from the most unexpected of places. Primary characters present white. This quiet, heartfelt story will stay with readers long after the tide goes out. (author's note)(Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
