Skylar - Hardcover

Mary Cuffe-Perez lives in Galway, New York.

Grade 3–6—Five pond geese trade security for the exhilaration of freedom to lead a lost one-eyed heron to the migration gathering in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. Foolhardy Skylar has some vague memories of his first migration when he was grounded and left behind during a storm. He leads opinionated Roosevelt, stalwart Esther, pudgy Loomis, and anxious little Weedle through several adventures and scrapes to their goal. Liwska's shaded black-and-white pencil renderings work with the text to give readers a strong sense of place. Realistic geese behaviors and touches of humor keep pace with strong themes (facing fears and learning through experience). Grounded in nature, like Donna Jo Napoli's Ugly (Hyperion, 2006), Skylar also includes a fatal scene with a hunter. The writing is strong, though a few wobbly phrases such as "The sun opened the horizon like an invitation" and geese descending from the sky "as if delivered of it" may need some clarification. With its evocative descriptions and some challenging vocabulary, this book makes a great read-aloud.—Susan Hepler, formerly at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
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