Time for the Team to Step In!
Description
Innocent animals are in trouble: temperatures are climbing, tides are rising, and nature is suffering. Someone needs to step in to rescue animals from extinction. Someone needs to turn this mess around, before it’s too late.
And that someone is . . . the Endangereds, the unlikeliest heroes you’ll ever meet—a superstrong polar bear, a pangolin with a genius for engineering, an extremely sarcastic narwhal, and an orangutan with a big dream.
Together, these four daredevils are determined to save endangered species across the globe, no matter what the risk. Rappelling into an underground cavern to save the day? No problem. Looping video footage to sneak through buildings unnoticed? Got it covered. Opening a doorknob? Okay, pretty hard without thumbs. But don’t worry. No matter what it takes, the Endangereds will get the job done.
But when two of their friends get kidnapped by a villain with a dastardly agenda, the team finds themselves up to their snouts in trouble. Can the Endangereds save the day? Or will this villain put humans and animals alike on the extinction list?
The A-Team meets the animal kingdom in the first book in the thrilling new adventure series from the host of Xploration Awesome Planet Philippe Cousteau and award-winning author Austin Aslan.
Details
- Book Title: The Endangereds by Philippe Cousteau and Austin Aslan
- Illustrator: James Madsen
- Category: Tweens/Middle Grade, Ages 8 – 12
- Pages: 352
- Genre: Fantasy
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Release date: September 29, 2020
- Read A Sample
Content Rating: Very appropriate for the recommended ages.
My Thoughts
Fantasy isn’t my favorite genre so I seldom read it. But let me quickly add, I would have missed out on one great story had I not opened this book. So what changed my mind about this fantasy? Maybe a well-written story, a good plot, and fun characters?
That being said, who are The Endangereds and what do they do? Let’s take it straight from the book.
. . . the Endangereds, the unlikeliest heroes you’ll ever meet—a superstrong polar bear, a pangolin with a genius for engineering, an extremely sarcastic narwhal, and an orangutan with a big dream.
We help wildlife across the globe, especially any species red-listed as threatened or endangered.
When Nukilik, a polar bear, loses sight of her mother and is captured and taken to the Ark, a facility used to protect the planet’s most endangered species, all she can think about is being reunited with her mother.
She continually turns down the other endangered animals’ requests to join their team, but when an emergency comes up, she rethinks her stance.
As I mentioned earlier, I was completely taken off guard with how much I enjoyed this book. Especially since it’s both a story for a younger audience and a fantasy. But I thoroughly enjoyed it! The animals each have such unique personalities. And though some of the humor is apt to miss its mark with a younger audience, it won’t be missed by others.
While the humor in some books feels manufactured and doesn’t actually fit, I felt every bit of the humor in this story agreed with the various personalities. Either that or it was used to create a fun visual. Below are examples.
The tires slid to a halt on the loose gravel of the road, twenty or thirty feet in front of Red Tail. Wan sprang from the door, fully geared up. A two-by-four toppled to the ground. Nuk guessed Wan had used it to reach the pedals.
A prairie dog landed on the windshield, splayed out, dazed but unharmed.
“Ahhh!” Wangari jolted in surprise.
Murdock remotely engaged the windshield wiper. The furry thing was squeegeed out of view.
This is a fun adventure and a set of characters that are hard not to fall in love with.
My Concerns
For a little while, I had trouble remembering what name went with what animal. I kept wishing there was a picture, name, and information about the main endangered animals.
But the authors took care of that. I just hadn’t discovered it yet, since it’s all at the back of the book.
My suggestion would be to let the reader know it’s there to reference whenever needed.
What I Liked
I have to be honest, before I ever started reading I wondered if the story might feel a bit aggressive in pushing a program or agenda. Nope. Even though I was somewhat expecting it, nothing disturbed me as I read the story.
At the back of the book the main animals are listed with various points of interest.
- Name of the Animal in the Story
- Common Name
- Scientific Name
- Habitat
- Weight
- Height
- Conservation Status
- Population in the Wild
- Learn More
- What Can You Do To Help
I would readily suggest this book for the classroom, home, gift-giving…okay, you get it. This non-fantasy reader thought authors Cousteau and Aslan did a great job. And even though there are only about four illustrations included, they are exceptionally well done.
Many young readers will be delighted to discover that this is the first book in a new series. In fact, one older lady who isn’t a major fan of fantasy was also caught doing a little happy dance. Discretely, of course.
My thanks to Book Sparks, Harper, and the authors for a copy of this book. My opinion of this book was not influenced by this generosity. In fact, I was not obligated to post a review at all.
Rating
A book you won’t want to overlook.
About the Authors
Philippe Cousteau is the world-renowned environmentalist and Emmy-nominated host of Xploration Awesome Planet, is the coathor of The Endangereds, the first book in a thrilling environmental adventure series.
Austin Aslan is the author of The Islands at the End of the World and The Girl at the Center of the World. A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, he can often be found exploring the wilds of northern Arizona and camping in a tent on a punctured air mattress. Austin loves to travel widely, photograph nature, and laugh. Follow him on Twitter at @Laustinspace.
