I think this book is great for middle school. I love that it empowers kids to use their voices to speak up about things that matter. I love that it shows how it isn't easy to speak your truth because you will always be met with unease and pushback. Catapus the seal, was my favorite since he helped the kids get what they needed to make a change. Climate change is a big problem all over the world but the little town in Maine is already seeing the causes of the climate change. Ellie wants to make the community aware and make some changes to help save her little town.

Review of “The Secret of the Catapus” by Robin Elspeth Jenkins. This moving novel blends equal parts heartfelt activism, magical realism, and coming of age. From the moment of meeting Ellie, uprooted and facing change, the author pulls us into a Maine coastline that breathes. The salt air, seabirds, and hidden rhythms of the tides ---they are not just backdrop, but character in their own right. Jenkins has a gift for place: the natural world here is vivid, alive, and intimate. Landing hardest is the emotional truth. Ellie’s voice is full of passion and uncertainty, and she is surrounded by people—new friends, her grandmother, the quirky edges of the town—who care deeply, argue, and sometimes disappoint. Ellie’s growth into her role as a young climate activist is inspiring. The stakes feel real. “The Secret of the Catapus” blends friendship, family, and magical realism with a powerful call to care for the natural world. Ellie’s journey is both inspiring and relatable, capturing the uncertainty of growing up while discovering her own voice as a young activist. The Maine coast comes alive on the page, and threads of mystery and wonder make this story. It is a luminous book full of heart, hope, and purpose—one I highly recommend.

Robin Elsbeth Jenkins does it again in creating a strong entry to this children's fiction world, it had that element that I enjoyed from this type of book and was invested in the environment concept. It had that climate change and enjoyed going on this journey with the characters in this story. This was everything that was promised and I was wanting and enjoyed the overall feel of this. The characters were so well done and was invested in what was happening in this.

I loved the premise of this and wanted to like it so badly. A message relevant to the climate crisis for middle grade but also a magical realism vibe with a seal? SOLD.

The passages describing the natural life of Maine? Gorgeous, almost poetic at times. The times where the narrative focuses on the seal’s observations? Such a cool thing to include and also they have some genuinely funny lines. These two elements are the writing at its very best.

The downside for me was the amount of “talking at me” done to the audience. Lots of info dumping about actual climate change well trying to poorly disguise it a narrative. While the message is important, sometimes the dialogue read like a cheesy infomercial. There were a good amount of times where I rolled my eyes because it had the vibe of a “Very Special Episode”™️ from a 90s show.

Plus, there’s some plot concepts that were breezed past that I would’ve liked to see developed further l. The “Dan” being called “Dad” moment, for example, is addressed and resolved so early in the novel, I feel happened so easily that it feels like an irrelevant detail. Alternatively, it reads like when you are collecting random sidequests.

Overall, I think kids super into nature (esp marine life) and/or who have an interest climate justice really will enjoy this. For most others (including me), this just okay.

Ellie moves to a small town in coastal Maine after her parents split — the same place where her late grandma used to live. There she meets new friends among neighbors and classmates, but she is unpleasantly surprised to discover that people in the town don't generally share her understanding of the climate crisis, despite being dependent on the bay’s fishery and the climate-change-induced changes already visible in it. So she takes it upon herself to continue the awareness-raising work that her grandma had been doing for decades, making unexpected alliances along the way.

I generally liked the story. The entire storyline with Catapus (the seal) is adorable, though admittedly not ultimately necessary for everything else to still work. What it adds — along with all the other episodes where Ellie and her friends enjoy the bay’s nature and observe various species of birds and mammals—is that climate change is no longer an abstract thing to worry about theoretically but something that can impact very concrete elements of the inhabited and loved environment.

At times, the dialogues between characters read a bit like they are rehashing pieces of information from elsewhere that the author wants to tell the reader about. I am not sure why that feels unnatural — people in real life actually do "lecture" on topics they are passionate about all the time. But somehow we expect a children’s book to abandon realism for more conventional dialogue in this regard. One thing that I found an especially valuable message for readers who might relate to the experience of people around them not sharing their climate anxiety is the idea that there are people everywhere at different stages of readiness to receive new information on a specific topic, and it is important to address segments of the "target audience" with the right level of readiness and the right message, rather than simply "put the information out there" and be surprised that people don’t start acting on it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with the eARC through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.

This book felt like reading a movie in the best way possible. The author does an amazing job describing the scenery, I felt like I was there with them. It has so much heart, not just about climate change but about family, grandparents, imagination, animals, and friendship.

This story follows Ellie, a thirteen year old moving into her grandmothers old house and town. Meeting new people and even a curious seal.

Ellie is a very head strong but compassionate person, her growth shines through her interactions with the towns people. I will say she and the other kids in the book are supposed to be 13/7th graders but it comes off more like 5th-6th. I loved her interactions with Freddy, Judy, Joe, her dad, and her remembrance of her grandma. I wish we got more of her dad and mom to understand more of their family dynamic, but what was shown was enough and I found it very relatable for when I was that age and younger.

The plot itself is cozy and heartwarming, if a bit lecturey when it comes to the climate change bits, it feels like your sitting in a classroom at times but it’s an important topic and it’s a nice first step for children to start learning about it. If someone is passionate about animals, nature, or even just an inkling of curiosity, they are sure to love this.

I think for middle grade this was great! I love the ocean and seals and would get this for any child I know who is the right age and enjoys those too.

I really enjoyed this coming of age story. I simply couldn't put it down! Wow!
There were many things that I loved about it. The seals for one. Ive never read a,book focused on them.
Ive learned much in this story. The environment issues was interesting. I never knew about this issue
I also loved the setting of coastal Maine. I enjoyed my visit. So beautiful!! Ive not read many books with this setting, so this was a treat.
Ellie and her friends were a joy to know. I felt like they were my friends too. I did laugh in some places.
Catapus was awesome. In my opinion, he made this story. He made me smile from time to time.
This story is told from Ellie's point of view. My favorite telling in a book. I feel more connected with her and others characters if a story is written like that.
5 stars from me for a wonderful adventure! I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

What a lovely story. I strongly recommend this to schools and libraries. It touches on many of the issues that are pressing to people of all ages: the environmental ones as well as the personal issues that confront school children. The scenes from Maine are vivid and compellling and the relationships of the people with the ocean, the setting is wonderful. Highly recommended.

The plot of this book is lovely and the themes of grief are so valuable for kids to learn! I enjoyed that aspect of this story and it is written very eloquently. I enjoyed how atmospheric it felt. While reading to my kids they pointed out several times that they felt like they relate to the main character in some sort of way. I also found my younger self connecting with Ellie.

I do think that there is too much detail added into the writing. I read a few chapters aloud to my kiddos and the amount of details were very overwhelming and made it hard to stay engaged in the story. Simple things were over described. It took me out of the story several times. It felt like we were being told the story rather than enjoyed the ebb and flow of it.

Thank you for your hard-work in writing this novel!

Thank you NetGalley, 12 Willows Press, and Jenkins for the ARC of The Secret of the Catapus.

The novel focuses on the impact of climate change, specifically focusing on coastal Maine. Protagonist Ellie moves to a community where climate change isn't a "belief," and she must fight against a community to get her message out - all while her parents are separating and she's acclimating to a new home.

I found this novel was powerful for middle school students when it came to conflict, advocacy, and personal growth. My favorite line, which I think would resonate well with students in the publisher's age range (10-14) ((and well, all age groups)), was, "'I'm guessing you were talking at Mister Jackson, not to him or with him.'" This novel was a great for science-based education purposes, but also SEL and navigating conversations with those who disagree.

The Secret of the Catapus overall was a slow start, but once the conflict kicked off and Ellie found herself in the thick of it, I thought the plot was engaging, thoughtful, and informative. I'll definitely be picking up a copy for my classroom library once it's published!