The Lonely Lake Monster

August 1, 2013
Lake monster lonely? Leprechaun sniffly? Only Dr. Woo, Veterinarian for Imaginary Creatures, can help. Ten-year-old Pearl Petal, one of the few kids remaining in Buttonville after the button factory's closure, has a reputation as a troublemaker. She's just curious, creative...and bored, so she's glad to have a new friend in Ben Silverstein and an apprenticeship at Dr. Woo's clinic, which everyone in town thinks is a worm hospital. After successfully ditching nosy Mrs. Mulberry, who wants her awful daughter Victoria to apprentice too (just so they can nose around inside), Pearl and Ben start their first day of apprenticing by clipping the toenails of a Sasquatch. Things get more complicated fast. Pearl's curiosity gets the better of her, and Ben ends up the prisoner of a gigantic (and thankfully gentle) lake monster. Can Pearl save him without alerting Dr. Woo and her snooty assistant, the odd Mr. Tabby? Selfors' second is Pearl's tale (the first was Ben's), and this adds depth to both the characters and setting of this fun and slightly suspenseful series that has more hijinks than horror. Santat's occasional black-and-white illustrations are an added bonus, as are the creature info with writing and art prompts, the science lesson on buoyancy and the mirror-making instructions in the backmatter. Readers could start here, but they should start with the first to get the whole story. Nothing imaginary about the fun (and sneaky learning). (Fantasy. 7-11)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2013

Gr 3-5-Ten-year-old Pearl Petal doesn't try to get into trouble; it just sort of...happens. In The Sasquatch Escape (Little, Brown, 2013), Dr. Emerald Woo moved into an abandoned Buttonville factory and turned it into a hospital for imaginary creatures. Pearl and Ben, a 10-year-old newcomer to town, helped corral a wayward sasquatch, and, for their efforts, the veterinarian made them apprentices. Now, on their first official day on the job, they are instructed to clip the sasquatch's toenails. But Pearl convinces Ben that they should check out the lake monster on the hospital grounds instead. What follows is a disastrous cascade of things gone wrong and Pearl's sincere-yet misguided-attempts to set them right. The story is imaginative, fast paced, and absorbing. Pages fly as readers race to find out how Pearl will get out of the tangle of mistakes she's made. And even though she's flawed, she tries hard to be a good kid, an endearing quality. Questions hang in the air at the book's conclusion, in preparation for a sequel. A section on writing, art, and science activities that may be used for educational or recreational purposes is appended, and Santat's comical illustrations appear throughout. A fun ride.-Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Ten-year-olds Pearl and Ben start their apprenticeships at Dr. Woo's hospital for imaginary creatures and are told to stay inside. But when Pearl sees a huge lake monster outside, she and Ben simply must investigate. This entertaining tale, illustrated with verve by Santat, combines fantastical creatures, a wacky veterinarian, humor, tension, and implausible fun. End matter includes activities and information about the creatures.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)