One thing I
think we can all agree on: puffins are funny. With their awkward walk,
missile-shaped bodies, and confrontationally bright beaks, they seem to have
been designed by a team of comedians willing to do anything for a laugh.
One thing
puffins are not, however, is heroic.
Lockley J. Puffin is no exception, but his curiosity and his willingness to
speak out against injustice force him further and further into this unwanted
role despite his best efforts. His island, Neversink, is being forcibly
oppressed by a group of owls, headed by a tyrannical pygmy owl named Rozbell. Most
of the puffins and other auks would rather submit than resist, but Lockley,
with help from a walrus named Egbert, a hummingbird named Ruby, and the Great
Auk himself, is determined to make things right – and protect the safety of
Lucy, his mate, and their unborn child.
The world of
Neversink is a richly-realized blend
of Norse mythology, surreal humor, and Watership
Down-style fantasy. Creating a memorable fantasy setting is no mean feat,
especially for a debut author, but Barry Wolverton manages it. The prose itself
is also marvelous. The scene in which Lockley comes face to face with the sea
goddess Sedna, in particular, is truly lovely, reaching a sort of prose poetry
that shows up all too infrequently in children’s literature.
I did wonder
if the political intrigue and historical in-jokes would be of interest to a
juvenile audience, though that was more noticeable at the beginning of the
book. And, while Lockley himself is a fully three-dimensional character, not
everyone in the book is quite as well-rounded. Rozbell, in particular, is an
effective villain, but one without much depth. The setting and the hero,
however, largely make up for any such shortcomings.
With the
number of excellent books that have already been published so far, I’m not sure
you’ll see Neversink in the ALA
awards come January. But I’d highly recommend it for any readers with interests
in fantasy, animal novels, or mythology.
Published in
March through Walden Pond Press / HarperCollins.
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