Jacqueline Guest

Literary Merit: Fair
Character Merit: Fair
Other: Additional purchase
Recommendation: Grades 5-8

Sam Stellar is getting geared up for her summer internship at the Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta, Canada. She and her cousin Paige will be working together as part of a work study program. What could be more exciting than that? When a rash of dinosaur bones go missing from other museums, Sam, a budding detective, is convinced it will happen at the Tyrell Museum as well. And soon enough her hunch proves correct- a fossil does go missing. As she gets closer to the truth, Sam gets attacked and even kidnapped at one point. Will Sam survive to solve the mystery?

Sam is an engaging protagonist. She is clever and witty, willing to jump into the fray and follow the clues, where ever they lead. And that’s part of the problem. Sam and her cousin are too clever and witty, straining at credibility. They know a little too much for their age. Also, there are some insensitive racial stereotypes in here that are somewhat off-putting. Especially from an author who has been noted for being sensitive with characters in prior books. That aside, the mystery is somewhat entertaining- if the reader is willing to overlook the dull-witted adults and the all-knowing teens; they will find a fast moving mystery with plenty of science about dinosaurs. An additional purchase for dinosaur and mystery enthusiasts. For grades 5-8.… (mere)

My personal response to the book: The book was excellent. It portrayed a modern day Native American youth going through typical teen issues and in a positive light. Many students will be able to relate to this book.
Curricular connections: The curricular connections include: sports, being the new kid, blended family, Native American and family tree. As a TL I would be able to showcase this book in a RA situation as a typical teen book while simultaneously portraying a Native American youth in a positive light.… (mere)

In the 1860s, Ailish O'Connor, a young Irish girl, goes aboard a telegraph-cable placing ship (which is laying cable from Ireland to Newfoundland), The Great Eastern, to reclaim a valuable horse statue stolen from her father by one of the men who works aboard the ship. There, Ailish, who is said to have the second sight (which has kept her and her father from abject poverty) is assisted by the ghost of a bash boy, Davy Jones. In spite of her supernatural powers, however, Ailish isn't able to figure out that the boy isn't actually living, and has to be told at the end of the book. Ailish also makes friends with a fellow Irishman, Paddy Whelan, who is traveling to Newfoundland to start over with family already living there. Ailish's enemy, Rufus Dalton, is also Paddy's enemy. Dalton makes frequent claims that Paddy is a Fenian who is trying to sabotage the laying of the cable, so that he, Dalton, can access the 80 pounds that Paddy is bringing to his family. The novel tells of Ailish's adventures aboard the huge ship trying to regain her father's stolen property and clear Paddy of Dalton's malicious charges. Oddly, the power she has doesn't assist her in the least. The details about the laying of telegraph lines are somewhat confusing, and without drawings of any sort, I think it would be hard for the target age group of 9-12 to picture how the mechanisms work. The story had some promise but the details don't add up. Characterization is weak and inconsistent (a heavy drinking rather stupid father has given up drink by the end of the book, for example), and, overall, the novel is uninteresting and plodding. Ailish neither speaks nor acts like an early teenaged girl. Not recommended.… (mere)