Review: Neversink by Barry Wolverton

I won an ARC of Neversink by Barry Wolverton from Danielle at There's a Book over Christmas and sat down to read it Martin Luther King, Jr weekend.  I had seen it mentioned on a few blogs and thought it looked like something my students would like.  YOU HAVE NO IDEA!  I showed it to them on a Tuesday to say I was reading it, and was hoping to be done soon as when I was finished, I'd give it to one of them to take home and keep.  One of my 5th grade boys, A., said, "Mrs. Furman, please finish it tonight.  I want to read that book so badly!"  and was quite adamant about it---to the point where I think he wanted me to leave school at 10:30 to go home and read it and not have any other distractions. 

 

Here's the summary from goodreads (click here to order from Amazon as it comes out TODAY!)

Along the Arctic Circle lies a small island called Neversink, whose jagged cliffs and ice-gouged rocks are home to a colony of odd-looking seabirds called auks, including one Lockley J. Puffin. With their oceanfront views and plentiful supply of fish, the auks have few concerns - few, save for Lockley's two best friends, Egbert and Ruby, a know-it-all walrus and a sharp-tongued hummingbird.

But all of this is about to change. Rozbell, the newly crowned king of Owl Parliament, is dealing with a famine on the mainland of Tytonia - and he has long had his scheming eyes on the small colony to the north. Now, Neversink's independence hangs in the balance. An insurgence of owls will inevitably destroy life as the auks know it - unless Lockley can do something about it.

I thought this was an interesting book.  Being bullied, or being treated unfairly, is something that we can all identify with, whether its happened to us directly or not.  Readers will identify with Lockley because he is an underdog, because he is doing what is right. 

If I could share my favorite part, without giving away too much---Egbert the walrus accompanies Lockley on his spirit journey.  However, Egbert, rather than complete the journey, has a dream from the plant they ate to be able to hold their breaths underwater (a hallucination) and dreams that he is walking along the beach with a carpenter, and dozens of happy oysters followed them, and they ate them all.  I about died laughing at the Alice in Wonderland reference!  I know most kids won't get this, but the adults reading it (either to their child or as a read aloud in the classroom) will get a good giggle out of it. 

All in all, this was a good book.  I enjoyed reading it, and I can't wait to hear A.'s thoughts.