The Mosquito Brothers

April 20, 2015
Dinnn Needles and his 400 mosquito siblings survive rainstorms, dragonfly attacks, and more as they travel from their home at an urban drive-in movie theater to the country and back. Despite references to mosquitos' short life spans and other trivia, Ondaatje keeps the actual bloodsucking and insect mortality to a minimum, focusing on Dinnn's initial fear of flight and on his large family's light misadventures, including accidental separations and teary reunions. Salcedo's goofy caricatures of furry, needle-nose mosquitos feel somewhat at odds with the more poignant moments in Dinnn's story, which has a few too many conveniences and moments of sidestepped logic (it's hard to imagine minivan occupants who don't notice several hundred mosquitos along for the ride) for Dinnn's successes to truly feel triumphant. Ages 7â9. Author's agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group. Illustrator's agency: Advocate Art.

April 1, 2015
A late-blooming urban mosquito meets his country-raised half brother for the first time. The storyline wanders as aimlessly as a mosquito in the breeze. Last of his 401-sibling family to be born, Dinnn Needles is both puny and so afraid of falling that he walks everywhere-at least until bullies push him into a sewer and he has to shed his beloved but wing-pinning leather jacket to survive. Then he and his clan hitch a minivan ride to the swampy lake where his mother had seen all but one of her first set of offspring eaten by dragonflies. There he meets hulking but friendly Gus, who leads a nighttime expedition past sleeping pondhawks to a carnival. When the outing runs long, Dinnn and Gus are forced to run the dragonfly gantlet. Having acquitted himself nobly, Dinnn rejoins his family for the ride home and learns a family secret (that readers will have known for a while). Ondaatje adds humorous chapter heads like "Crouching Mosquito, Hidden Dragonfly," a mix of real and fancied mosquito lore, and a natural-history quiz at the end (with answers to be found online). Neither these nor Salcedo's pictures of pensive, popeyed, pointy-nosed buglets inject enough juice to get this anemic tale off the ground. A few moments of manufactured drama aside, a ragged chain of set pieces. (Animal fantasy. 10-12)

May 1, 2015

Gr 2-4-The story of a frightened mosquito who longs to have adventures and fit in with his 400 siblings. After failed attempts to befriend the cool, older bugs at school, including close encounters with dragonflies and spider webs, Dinnn Needles gets the opportunity to travel to the Wild, where he faces even greater danger and learns that fitting in and accepting himself is about taking risks and helping others. The tone is sometimes odd as the narrator discusses issues such as Dinnn's father having to fill out 401 registrations leaves for school. Ondaatje's writing flows easily and includes some words that will challenge young readers. Facts about mosquitoes and dragonflies are peppered throughout the narrative without feeling out of place or superfluous. Throughout this fast-paced story, Dinnn experiences a complete character arc that will show young readers the upside of taking risks. Salcedo 's line drawings support passages that could otherwise be hard for children to visualize. The writing quality is on par with other adventure stories, but some children and parents may find descriptions of mosquitoes biting animals and dodging spiderwebs a bit too quirky. VERDICT This action-packed tale will be a good purchase for large collections of early chapter books or as an additional purchase for most collections.-Liz Anderson, DC Public Library

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