Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson
Published by Clarion Books on April 27, 2021
ISBN: 0358334853
Pages: 208
Genres: Adventure, Animals
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Madi Lewis has a penchant for rescuing animals in need, but after so many rescues, she’s not allowed to take in any more. When she and her friends find some orphaned beaver kits, though, she knows she needs to help. What she doesn’t expect is to be thrust into the middle of a local political and environmental dispute and conspiracy.

The premise of this book, raising orphaned beaver kits, reads at about a 3rd grade interest level, but the beavers were orphaned because someone is deliberately shooting the adults. The surrounding local uproar over the presence of beavers (and the perceived destruction caused by their dams) and the pointing fingers about who is shooting the adults feels a bit older than 3rd grade. There is nothing overtly wrong with this book, the story just seemed to fall flat. It wasn’t as engaging or compelling as other animal rescue stories. Recommended for readers 3rd grade and up—but not for sensitive 3rd graders.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME