Monsters, puberty, energy policy, land use disputes, and collective action to save the day?!?! Let’s goooooooo!!!!!!!! This middle grade mystery is an action-packed adventure that kicks off when Jordi visits the wildlife sanctuary where his mom works only to find out that the animals are actually cryptids! The land is a place where they can stay unseen, safe from experimentation. Until a fracking company moves into town and decides to demonize the cryptids as part of its attempt to force families to license their land for natural gas extraction. Now Jordi and friends must not only protect the cryptids but also figure out everything the company is up in order to save their farming community from environmental destruction. Kids are going to absolutely all that, right? But here is what makes the book extra special: Jordi is a big kid, seemingly growing faster than his peers, and finding that people want to treat him like a teen or even a grown-up because of his size. But he is very much a child and deserves to be treated as such! This is an incredibly important message for young readers going through puberty, and a good reminder to adults that it is one’s age, not outdated thinking about development, that determines when we’re adults. Let kids be kids! Finally, I loved the way Adrianna Cuevas wove in how book bans are harming children when they can’t get information on puberty – absolute genius. Don’t miss the excellent back matter on the cryptids that includes connections between the book’s character and mythology / real-life sightings. This story is such a triumph. Highly recommend!!

This book is great fun. The good guys win, the bad guys get what they deserve and there are cryptids. What more could one ask for? It has a high enough vocabulary to engage older kids and adults who are ex inclined to read kid stories. However, the flow and pacing make it suitable for younger kids also

Absolutely adored this book! Everything tied together so well, from the diverse cast of characters (cryptid and human, alike!), the mission of the plot, and the representation of banned books. Really great middle grade read about community, environmental rights, and cryptids/American Mythology.