Review: Rescue at Lake Wild

Title: Rescue at Lake Wild
Author: Terry Lynn Johnson
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this funny and moving animals-in-peril adventure, a twelve-year-old girl and her two best friends determine to rescue two orphaned beaver kits—and soon find themselves trying to solve a local environmental crisis. 

Everyone knows that twelve-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After she’s saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch, Madi’s parents decide that if they find one more stray animal in the house, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event.

But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger. As Madi and her friends race to uncover the threat targeting the beavers, Madi must put her animal whisperer skills to the test in both raising the orphaned beaver kits and staying out of trouble long enough.

Review:

Twelve-year-old Madi Lewis is known for rescuing animals. She’s banned from bringing any more home. When her and her friends Jack and Aaron find a mother beaver who was killed, Madi insists on finding her babies and saving them. Madi brings the two baby beavers home and hides them from her family. Madi and her friends look after the baby beavers while also searching for the person who shot the babies’ mother.

This is a great story to introduce children to looking after wildlife. Madi had some experience with helping her grandmother rescue wildlife, so she knew what to do with the baby beavers. She had to use her own knowledge to look after them, including mimicking what their mother would do to keep them warm and make them food. Interacting with wildlife can also be dangerous, so she had to be cautious while handling the babies.

This story reminded me of the Animal Ark series that I read when I was a kid. Those books were about kids rescuing and helping animals. These stories about kids helping animals can get them interested in going outside and learning about nature.

Rescue at Lake Wild is a great middle grade story!

Thank you HMH Books for Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read Rescue at Lake Wild? What did you think of it?