You definitely have to pick up Monster, Human, Other (Random House Children’s Books, September 2017) by Laurel Gale when it comes out. I was fortunate enough to get to read an ARC and loved this book.
It starts out with Isaac Read, whose family has moved once again, because he’s changing from his winter look to his summer look. Yep, Isaac isn’t human–he’s a clepsit–in the ambassador exchange program living with human parents. He has to tape down his tail when he goes out among humans and is always having to make new friends because of the moves.
Mr. and Mrs. Read’s child Wren lives with a clepsit family in their burrow. Her clepsit parents love her, but the extended family, not so much. Wren doesn’t have the sense of smell that the rest of the family does and often has trouble finding her way back to the burrow. She’s picked on by her cousins; distrusted by her aunt and uncle, the head clepsits. Thank goodness her brother Coney tries to protect her.
Add the voracans who want to take over the world. With relations between the human and clepsit cultures growing more tense, how can two kids help? But Isaac and Wren don’t have any choice but to get involved when the voracans show up in their world.
This book is fun and with enough scare to keep it interesting. The new world is believable and relatable. I’m sure kids will also love this book.
This is author Laurel Gale’s second book. Read more about what she’s up to on her website. I also recommended her first book Dead Boy here.