Ferals

February 1, 2015
People who can commune with animals populate this urban fantasy for middle-grade readers.Homeless 13-year-old Caw lives with his three loyal crows in a city called Blackstone. A recurring dream torments him: Caw's parents fling him out of his bedroom window into the air, where he's caught by crows and carried to safety. Eight years after this expulsion, Caw still doesn't understand, but a new element to the dream-an evil man with a spider ring-offers a clue. While searching for answers with his new human friend, Lydia, Caw meets a homeless man called Crumb, who informs Caw that the boy is a feral, like him: a person who can talk to and control a certain type of animal. Through Crumb and other ferals, Caw learns that the man from his dreams, the Spinning Man, is determined to return from the Land of the Dead and needs Caw as well as a band of renegade ferals to do so. It's pushing credulity that the Spinning Man's minions are as thoroughly inept as they turn out to be, and while the dangers Caw faces-and his responses to their outcomes-are believable, his ability to learn new skills (literally overnight) and succeed against those with many more years of experience may confound readers. This series opener is definitely not for arachnophobes or those easily frightened, but stouthearted readers happy to suspend their disbelief may enjoy the urban setting and fast-paced plot. (Fantasy. 9-14)

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March 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-Ever since he was five years old, Caw has lived with his crows in the safety of the nest they made in an abandoned park. He lives off of what food he can scavenge from trash cans and restaurants. After Caw saves the local prison warden from an attack by escaped criminals, the two strike up an unlikely friendship. When a kindly librarian is found murdered, the two discover that their town holds a sinister secret. Caw finds out that he is a "feral"-someone who can speak to animals. There are others like him, though some of them are not good. Caw discovers that a feral was responsible for the death of his parents; it is up to him and a ragtag group of reluctant ferals to save their town from destruction. While the story is interesting and will certainly appeal to tweens, the plot has several glaring holes. There is the obvious question of how Caw was able to survive for eight years on his own without anyone noticing him. The protagonist also shows a surprising aptitude for summoning his crows after an extremely short training period. Character development is poor and the action slow to start. VERDICT A great premise with a poor execution that will leave readers looking elsewhere.-Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

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March 15, 2015
Grades 4-7 Caw can't remember much before his life with the crows. He lives as they do: scavenging food from dumpsters, sleeping high in a tree, avoiding attention from adults who might ask where his parents are and why he isn't in school. But Caw is drawn to the calm warmth of domestic life he spies through the windows of a large house adjacent to the city jail, and on the night three notorious prisoners escape, he finds himself allied with Lydia, the red-haired girl who lives there. Fearing that the prisoners are in league with an even more dreadful criminal, Caw and Lydia look for answers and learn about ferals people like Caw who can communicate with, and even control, a particular species of animal. The action builds to a satisfying and horrific conclusion as Caw gains mastery of his powers. A scary adventure for readers who enjoy the Animorphs series or Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (2008)although people with insect, bird, or snake phobias should stay well away!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)