Author: Jennifer Weiner
Series: The Littlest Bigfoot (Book 1)
Publication: Aladdin (September 13, 2016)
Description: From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a laugh-out-loud funny and painstakingly real tale of friendship, furry creatures, and finding the place where you belong.
Alice Mayfair, twelve years old, slips through the world unseen and unnoticed. Ignored by her family and shipped off to her eighth boarding school, Alice would like a friend. And when she rescues Millie Maximus from drowning in a lake one day, she finds one.
But Millie is a Bigfoot, part of a clan who dwells deep in the woods. Most Bigfoots believe that people—NoFurs, as they call them—are dangerous, yet Millie is fascinated with the No-Fur world. She is convinced that humans will appreciate all the things about her that her Bigfoot tribe does not: her fearless nature, her lovely singing voice, and her desire to be a star.
Alice swears to protect Millie’s secret. But a league of Bigfoot hunters is on their trail, led by a lonely kid named Jeremy. And in order to survive, Alice and Millie have to put their trust in each other—and have faith in themselves—above all else.
My Thoughts: Alice is going into seventh grade and she is on her eighth different school. She has always been bigger than the other kids; she has never fit in; she has never made friends. Jeremy is the youngest of three brothers and he is the ordinary one. His only claim to fame is his obsession with finding Bigfoot. Millie is a Yare - what we call Bigfoot - who has a strong interest in the no-furs who are at school across the lake and who wants to be a singer.
This is a story about acceptance and friendship and being yourself. Alice has given up trying to make friends at her new school despite the fact that her roommates are trying to be kind to her and include her. After she has been the victim of a cruel prank perpetrated by one of the popular girls, she is ready to commit suicide. Then she saves Millie from drowning when Millie swims to watch the kids at the school and she finds a new friend. Millie is very nervous that Alice will discover that she is a Yare. She has been forbidden by her family to let the humans know about them.
When Jeremy captures a picture of Alice and Millie trick-or-treating, he starts a media frenzy. Alice and her schoolmates have to be quite creative to hide that Millie is a Yare. I really liked how each of the kids and teachers told what made them different in the final confrontation with the media and the mob.
The surprise ending has left lots of room for a sequel. I want to know what comes next for Alice and Millie.
Favorite Quote:
Except for the gloomy lodge, the Center looked like it had been slapped together over a weekend by people who had one saw, one hammer, and absolutely no experience.I received this one from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy here.
I didn't know Jennifer wrote children's books. The Littlest Bigfoot sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Jennifer wrote children's books. The Littlest Bigfoot sounds very interesting.
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