The Unkindness of Ravens

Gr 4–7—Rufus is on a weekend visit to his grandma's house in the country. His spirit animal, a squirrel named Sidney, is along for the ride. The story opens with a short recap of Into the Woods (Kids Can, 2012): in an attempt to stop the destruction of a forest, Rufus calls upon Thunderbird for the power to stop the giant trucks. Thunderbird tells Rufus to carve a totem, which he soon learns will turn him into a Sasquatch. Readers are occasionally directed to the first title, which is an effective technique to explain things to children unfamiliar with that book, but the story does not suffer if they miss those references. All is going well for Rufus and his friend Penny as they explore the woods, until ravens begin to appear in trees overhead. They are plotting to steal Rufus's totem, but they have the same goal as he does: to protect the forest. Though the ravens know they cannot take the totem by force, they are confident they can outwit Rufus, Penny, and Sidney. This leads to an adventurous battle over the totem. Hicks's illustrations are done in bold, black lines and rich colors and are sometimes reminiscent of Native Canadian art styles. The story's adventure, magic, and characters will appeal to many readers.—Liz Zylstra, County of Prince Edward Public Library, Picton, Ontario