Scouts

May 1, 2019
Sixth grade is out, and Annie is about to have the camping adventure of a lifetime with her three best friends. The Scouts have been friends since kindergarten, but Annie's mom isn't happy that she only hangs out with boys. Beans is a near genius with a burdensome secret. Handsome Fynn has started to like girls. Rocky is coping with his widower dad's entry into the dating market. Their friend group is under stress, and Annie feels jealous of Fynn's older cousin, Scarlett, who has tagged along on their trip. But when they witness a UFO crash in the woods near their campsite, they get their problems moving, hoping the adventure will strengthen their relationships. They encounter bat-infested caves, a near drowning, a black bear, a human skeleton, and a stranger named Edge as they seek the mysterious silver object and try to resolve their growing pains. A stereotypical hillbilly family known as the Mason Mountain Clan and a wrongheaded legend about Cherokee gold are two of the weaker storylines in the meandering tale. With a Cherokee mom, biracial Annie knows to call out that legend, but neither her heritage nor Rocky's (his mom was Vietnamese) is explored in any depth, and the book otherwise adheres to a white default. This adventure tale about a UFO, set in 1985 Tennessee, sensitively explores the changing nature of adolescent friendships--but its subplots not so much. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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Narrator Kathleen McInerney's bright, youthful tones are well matched to Greenland's exuberant group of middle school best friends--the Scouts. Annie and her best friends, Fynn, Beans, and Rocky, are heading out on their annual summer camping trip, but this year something feels different. As new kids join the excursion and a meteor shower takes an unusual turn, listeners follow the young adventurers through danger, exploration, and mystery. McInerney's portrayals emphasize the range of characters--from strange villains and somber parents to each courageous member of the Scouts. Her pacing effectively juxtaposes Annie's thoughts with the mounting tension of the narrative as bonds are tested and longtime friendships hang in the balance. K.S.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2019
Grades 4-6 A hike into the Tennessee hills becomes a life-changing experience for a preteen cohort. Terrifying encounters with sudden flights of bats, a bear, a skeleton in a cave, shotgun-wielding moonshiners, soldiers, and a strange, silvery meteorite are just the tip of the iceberg?maybe, just maybe, they're also facing an otherworldly visitor. The meteor starts it all off, apparently landing only a few miles away and setting Annie and her lifelong posse (Beans, Rocky, and Fynn, plus Fynn's disgustingly girly, at least in Annie's view, cousin Scarlett) on its trail. What at first seems like no more than an entertaining excursion quickly turns into a nonstop thrill ride, as one calamitous situation after another tests not only each adventurer's individual courage but also the group's solidarity, already unraveling in the face of impending life changes. Along with a riveting oh no, now what? plot that features more than one astonishing twist at the climax, Greenland ultimately brings her diverse crew of young characters safely through developmental rapids that confirm old bonds and form new ones.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)