Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary) (edition 2013)by Suzanne Selfors (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator)This was fun! And well-written! Tight pacing, awesome premise, great characters, plus quirkiness, and humour and slapstick that even made this adult laugh. And yes, Jewish representation! People of colour! A sasquatch! Will be checking out the next one at some point, probably. 100% would recommend to a kid who wants light fantasy and likes laughing. 8/10 This is a cute series for elementary grades. Each book focuses on a different imaginary creature. Book one is about a sasquatch. Ben is facing a boring summer at his grandfather's house until he discovers strange creatures on the loose. First it's a baby dragon that the cat drags in. Knowing he needs a partner in crime, he elicits the help of town troublemaker, Pearl. Together they go to the abandoned button factory where an animal doctor has supposedly set up shop. While delivering the baby dragon, Ben forgets to bolt the door and a Sasquatch gets out. Mr. Tabby gives them a Sasquatch catching kit to lure it back to the button factory. It leaves a pretty messy trail around town, but eventually they haul it in. With the successful capture, they land a great summer job. To be continued since there are 6 books in the series. I would expect kids to like this. It's an easy read. Ben and his grandfather are likable characters. My only criticism is that the first half of the book was more about the dragon which diluted the impact of the Sasquatch. Sasquatch deserved more screen time. So-so for me as an adult reader but I have no doubt that my elementary aged kids will find it highly entertaining and funny. It is silly, exciting, and squeaky clean in terms of language, violence, and scary bits. The ending even has an appendix of discussion questions and activities and crafty ideas to extend learning of used in a classroom. Meh. A fun little adventure, I guess, but no depth, no real heart. Is it going to matter that the town is so poor? Are we going to get better acquainted with Grandpa's friends? Are Ben's parents going to work through their issues? Or is this just an amateurish romp? Well, I can answer one question. Do I care enough to keep reading to find the other answers? No. Oh, btw, the cover is totally misleading. What a delightful book! The story is so much fun, and the illustrations add to the reader's delight as we are given silly and fun pictures of pudding with clumps of hair, Sasquatch wearing a bonnet while racing down the hill in a shopping cart, and a baby wyvern. This book is suitable for upper elementary, and makes both a strong read aloud as a Book Club book. For Book Club, students could focus on character traits, character development, predication, and comparing/contrasting the two main characters. Enjoy! |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |