Little Bigfoot, Big City

July 1, 2017
As Alice, Millie, and Jeremy pursue different goals, their lives entangle irrevocably--for better and worse. Large, wild-haired, seemingly white Alice's confirmation that she has nonhuman blood further fuels her desire to join the Yare, or Bigfoot--unknown to most of the world--who live hidden deep in New York woods. Meanwhile, small, furry Millie, who longs to completely abandon her simple Yare life, uses the help of Alice and of snobbish human Jessica to get a singing audition for the smash TV show The Next Stage. The three girls met at an unusual boarding school, Experimental Center for Love and Learning. Simultaneously, a secret U.S. government agency pressures No-Fur (human) Jeremy and his friend Jo, who uses a wheelchair, to aid its mission to capture members of the Yare Tribe. The plot twists and turns around the realistically portrayed adolescents, while readers also mull cultural clashes, the intricacies of friendship and betrayals, the ironies of people's fantasies, and the unexpected revelations mothers make to daughters. Details of New York City, plenty of humor, and even a swipe at the current White House administration add fun to this spirited cliffhanger. And does Yare behavior mock or support "yare's" nautical meaning? Although some questions are resolved, readers will be impatient for the third novel. Most characters are white; Millie's mother is coppery-golden-skinned. Fast-paced and full of questions, answers, more questions--and heart. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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September 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-After learning she might not be human in the first book (The Littlest Bigfoot), Alice starts searching for clues to discover if she really is part Yare-or what humans refer to as "Bigfoot." Unfortunately, her best friend Millie, a confirmed Yare, is too preoccupied to help her; Millie is busy devising a plan to audition for her favorite reality competition show while still hiding her true identity. Meanwhile, amateur Bigfoot hunter Jeremy is being threatened by a shady government organization that wants to find out what he knows about Alice, Millie, and the Yare. Weiner continues to expand both her characters and the Yare mythology while providing resolution to some of the last book's lingering questions, such as revealing the truth about Alice's origins. Readers will relate to Alice and Millie as their paths diverge in their pursuit of their own interests-which sometimes causes them to neglect their friendship-and with Jeremy, who struggles to do the right thing and protect Alice and Millie, even as he is pressured to reveal the information he's uncovered. As in the first novel, not everything is neatly resolved in the sequel, which ends on a cliff-hanger. Although Weiner provides some exposition, new readers will fare better reading the books in order. VERDICT Fans of the first book won't be disappointed with this latest installment.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY

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