June 13, 2016
Bestselling adult author Weiner (In Her Shoes) makes a winning children’s book debut with this witty story of outcasts coming together, first in a trilogy. With her outsize height and unruly mane of hair, 12-year-old Alice Mayfair doesn’t fit anywhere and longs for a friend. In a parallel narrative, Millie Maximus, a small “Yare” (“what the humans call Bigfoots”), longs to sing, chafes at the Elders’ strict rules of secrecy, and seeks to learn more about the No-Furs (humans). Meanwhile, Jeremy Bigelow, an ignored Bigfoot-obsessive, meets a fellow believer in a girl named Jo. These stories collide when Alice arrives at the Experimental Center for Love and Learning, a hippy-dippy boarding school housed in a former camp, where she fishes Millie from the lake and forms her first friendship. Weiner effectively raises the stakes as Jeremy and Jo escalate their investigations into Bigfoots and piece together clues to Millie’s true identity. Well-drawn characters, high comedy, and an open-ended finale will leave readers eager for the next installment. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Joanna Pulcini, Joanna Pulcini Literary Management. Illustrator’s agency: Agency Rush.
January 30, 2017
This sweet and engaging middle school story about a budding friendship translates beautifully to audio. Twelve-year-old Alice Mayfair feels like a misfit: ignored by her rich socialite parents, shuttled from school to school, self-conscious about her large size and wild untameable hair. Millie Maximus is part of a clan that lives in the woods, known to humans as “Bigfoots.” She longs for adventure and wants to learn more about the human world, but her tribe insists she must stay hidden for her own safety. When the two meet and become fast friends, but their friendship puts the Bigfoots in danger, especially when Jeremy, a teenage boy obsessed with finding Bigfoots, follows Alice into the woods. While all three voice actors are tremendous, actress Galvin gives the standout performance. She creates a memorable voice not only for Alice but also for several secondary characters, including a sniffling young girl with allergies, a snobby rich “mean girl,” and an idealistic, free-spirited school principal. As Millie, actor Ponton strays from the textual description of her character, giving her a grittier, tomboyish voice instead of the beautiful musical voice with the pure sound of a triangle described in the book, but her Millie is immediately likable and relatable. Nobbs sounds exactly like an awkward adolescent kid in his narration of Jeremy. This is a fun and engaging tale that kids will love. Ages 8–12. An Aladdin hardcover.
July 15, 2016
Two girls, one a human and one a Yare, or Bigfoot, feel that they don't fit in with their families and communities. Aside from the fact that they are all white, large, 12-year-old Alice, with her hugely unruly hair, looks quite different from her beautiful, distant parents. She's been mocked and bullied at all seven schools she's attended. When her parents send her to the Experimental Center for Love and Learning in upstate New York, things seem to be different. The school lies in a beautiful setting near a forest and a lake--across which lives Millie, a very small Yare child. The Yares, known to humans as Bigfoots, live in secret, constantly fearful that humans will discover, then kill or imprison them. Millie, however, wants to learn about the No-Furs, cherishing a desire to become a singer in the No-Fur world. Inevitably, Millie and Alice become friends, but it leads to discovery of the Yares. Will the Yare community be forced to move to escape the humans? Or can Alice and Millie find a way to keep the secret? Weiner writes an engaging tale that helps children to understand both bullying and the difficulties faced by people who in some way deviate from the norm. She alternates the narrative between Alice and Millie, giving the Bigfoots humorously distinctive vocabulary: "snackle" for "snack," for instance, and "a straightness" for "straight." Enchanting right up to the sequel-beckoning end. (Fantasy. 8-12)
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August 1, 2016
Gr 4-6-Weiner's middle grade debut tells the story of Alice, a 12-year-old girl who is ostracized and bullied because of her larger size and unruly hair. Alice begins attending the rural, offbeat Experimental Center of Love and Learning-the eighth school to which her wealthy parents, who want little to do with her, have sent her-where she rescues an unusual girl named Millie from drowning in the lake. Millie is a young Yare, or what humans commonly refer to as "Bigfoot," but she is small and fascinated by human life, unlike the rest of the larger, stronger Yare in her tribe, who forbid her from interacting with "No-Furs," or humans. Alice and Millie quickly bond, but Millie is soon threatened when she is spotted by a painfully average boy named Jeremy, who hopes to carve out his own niche by discovering Bigfoot. Weiner's three young outcasts are well-developed as each seeks belonging, acceptance, and friendship. While Alice loathes her hair and size, Millie admires these attributes and insists Alice is beautiful and strong, and the novel concludes with a feeling of camaraderie and inclusivity as the teachers and students at the Experimental Center stand up for Alice and Millie. The epilogue leaves several unanswered questions, creating an opening for a sequel. VERDICT A heartwarming tale about friendship and belonging that will resonate with those young readers who have ever struggled to fit in or find their place in the world.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY
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