By Brandon Hobson
4RBooks: 3/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 5/5, grades 4-7 (only two reviews)
Good Reads: 3.49/5
Common Sense Media: Not yet reviewed
206 pages
Synopsis:
Ziggy’s mind works in overdrive, he gets nervous in crowded rooms and around loud noises, and his mother disappeared when he was very young. Ziggy has anxiety and is seeing a therapist at school. He is in sixth grade, and he has an eighth-grade sister, Moon. Ziggy and his family live in Poisonberry, New Mexico. They are Native Americans of the Cherokee Nation.
One day Ziggy becomes obsessed with the idea the there might be a secret cave in the desert where he can find clues about the disappearance of his mother, even though it happened many years ago. He makes plans with his best friend Corso, and a new friend, Alice, to sneak out of the house one night and explore, looking for that cave. His sister Moon ends up joining them, too.
During that Alice in Wonderland type night, they come across many interesting people and very strange animals, most who talk. There is Gus the buzzard, Andrew Jackson the armadillo, Bela Lugosi the snake, Jean-Pierre Le Peu the frog, the Raven Mockers, the hawks, Peter O’Doul, Gaddith, Mina Minoma and Gaddith.
During this search for his mother, Ziggy learns many valuable lessons about friendship, trust, storytelling, and dealing with his anxiety. Mostly he learns that he can’t live in the past, but most use it to move forward.
Parental Guidance: medium
Ziggy takes anxiety medication.
Ziggy’s grandmother smokes a pipe, Alice’s dad a cigarette.
Ziggy, Alice, Moon, and Corso sneak out of their houses at night to go and
search in the desert. They do not return until early the next morning.
Moon and Corso take a late-night care ride with strangers.
Native American women and girls have been missing on a regular basis, including
Ziggy’s mom and Alice’s sister.
There is talk of a spirit world and the spirit’s trying to communicate with
the real world.
Recommendation:
This was the epitome of a “meh” book. The premise seemed interesting, and the cross-cultural nature of the Native American stories had promise. Sadly, after a decent beginning, the book dragged throughout the adventurous night. Basically, the group moved from one person or talking animal to another, most of the time stopping to hear, or share a Native American story. These individual moments were okay, but there were just too many of them for one night of “action.” There needed to be space between the events, spread out over a couple of days, with more doing rather than listening in-between. Unlike books that I have trouble putting down, this one I had trouble picking up and finishing.
Students with a Native American background will find the story telling familiar. Students with anxiety will appreciate Ziggy’s journey and revelations about himself. This might be more useful as a classroom read-aloud or small group book where the teacher can infuse some life and energy into the read.
Comentarios