Scat (review)

Karen Coats

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Volume 62, Number 6, February
2009, p. 242 (Review)

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/bcc.0.0675

For additional information about this article

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/258297

Access provided at 9 Jan 2020 23:45 GMT from University of Cambridge

 February 2009 • 241

Haven, Paul The Seven Keys of Balabad; illus. by Mark Zug. Random House,
2009 [288p]
Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-93350-9 $19.99
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-83350-2 $16.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-9
Over five hundred years ago, King Agamon of the fictional country of Balabad hid
his enormous treasure from an invading army and sent the seven keys to its hiding
place off in different directions with his seven sons. Unfortunately, Agamon did
not survive, and the secret of the treasure’s hiding place remained entrusted to his
advisor, who had a map of the labyrinthine passages leading to the treasure woven
into a majestic carpet. Flash forward to the present, where the theft of a carpet
from a mosque and six of the seven keys from businessmen and entrepreneurs all
over the world lead Zee, a young boy from a distinguished family in Balabad and
owner of the final key, and his new friend Oliver, son of a New York journalist
and an art historian, into the middle of a dangerous and elaborate plot to raid the
treasure. The two are joined by Alamai, the daughter of a former Balabad soldier
who helps them piece together the mystery, and it is her bold fearlessness that
leads them to uncover the clues to the treasure. In the style of the Indiana Jones
adventures, this action-adventure transports readers to an exotic, richly imagined
location with classic villains, danger lurking around every turn, and a climax that
delivers on the suspense with rich rewards. The setting becomes fully realized as the
kids traipse through the Thieves’ Market and chase their quarry through the city
to the ruined palace, and then descend into the maze of tunnels under the city. It
may all be familiar to the point of mild hokeyness, but Haven makes it perpetually
entertaining. Reviewed from an unillustrated galley. KC

Heiligman, Deborah Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith. Holt,
2009 [320p]
ISBN 978-0-8050-8721-5 $18.95
Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-12
It’s common knowledge that Charles Darwin’s publication of On the Origin of Species
unleashed a tidal wave of controversy; less frequently discussed, at least in children’s
literature, is how this tension played out in Darwin’s own household with his wife,
Emma, a woman of faith. Heiligman crafts her biography around this pivotal issue,
which is never reduced to a simple Charles vs. Emma showdown, but instead is a
delicate and ongoing conversation between two people deeply and unflaggingly
in love. Heiligman begins with Charles’s vacillating views on matrimony upon his
return from the famous Beagle voyage and his subsequent decision to marry his first
cousin, Emma Wedgwood. It was a happy choice for both, with Emma finding in
Charles a devoted husband and father, and Charles finding in Emma an intelligent
companion, much-needed nurse, a faithful lover, a support in family crises, and,
most importantly for his work, a supportive yet devout critic. Although Emma was
ever anxious about the welfare of her increasingly agnostic husband’s soul, she was
able to see the brilliance and importance of his theory and to reconcile in her own
mind the mechanism of evolution and the hand of a divine Creator. Charles, on
the other hand, could anticipate objections from Scripture adherents and sought
his wife’s critique of his early drafts, rightly assuming that if he could persuade
Emma on a particular point, he stood a better chance of persuading others as well.
242 • The Bulletin

Heiligman works in the background of their respective premarital lives and cov-
ers all the requisite information about Charles Darwin’s career, but the domestic
lens through which she studies the story both humanizes the main players and
tacitly suggests to thoughtful readers how the theory of evolution is still variously
embraced, reconciled, or resisted today by those of primarily religious or scientific
dispositions. A family lineage chart, bibliography, and index are included, and all
quotations are cited. Come for the science, stay for the love story. EB

Hiaasen, Carl Scat. Knopf, 2009 [384p]

Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-93486-5 $19.99
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-83486-8 $16.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-9
It’s not that he doesn’t like biology, but Nick dreads his hours with Mrs. Starch, the
infamous, rumor-encrusted biology teacher. Still, when she embarrasses the class
bully, Smoke, Nick fears for her, especially when she disappears from a school field
trip to a local swamp. The class had to cut the trip short because of a fire in the
swamp, and many of his classmates figure that Smoke started it. As Nick and his
friend Marta investigate the disappearance of their teacher, they run into some-
one driving her car and intimating that he’s her nephew, even though they know
she doesn’t have family. As it turns out, Smoke, Mrs. Starch, and the mysterious
“nephew” are all connected, but it’s not for the reason Nick imagines. Nor are the
dangers where he imagined, either; an unscrupulous would-be oil tycoon from Texas
is trying to sink a well in public land and will do just about anything to keep people
from discovering his plans. With his usual flair, Hiaasen blends endangered species
(this time a Florida panther), uniquely Floridian landscapes, and environmental
mystery into an intricate plot web, laying out multiple strands before pulling
them up tightly into a resolution that turns the kids into the latest media heroes.
Along the way, he stretches and twists factual details in tall-tale fashion, sacrificing
absolute credibility for an exciting climax. His secondary characters tend toward
the hyberbolic as well, neatly situating the quirky alongside the earnest everykids
who are his protagonists. Fans of Hoot (BCCB 11/02) and Flush (BCCB 10/05)
will cheer for Scat. KC

Hills, Tad Duck & Goose: How Are You Feeling?; written and illus. by Tad
Hills. Schwartz & Wade, 2009 20p
ISBN 978-0-385-73620-6 $6.99 R 3-5 yrs
Hill assembles his avian repertory players for yet another concept board book (see
2008 Bulletin Blue Ribbon What’s Up, Duck?: A Book of Opposites, BCCB 4/08), this
time offering tableaux that demonstrate emotions. White Duck has plucked every
flower in the patch and hoards them to himself: “selfish.” Yellow Duck is “proud”
of his stick edifice; Goose is “frustrated” by his sorry pile of twigs that has evidently
collapsed. Yellow Duck sits waiting for a snail to creep toward him across the lawn:
“patient.” The vocabulary is sometimes a stretch for the board-book crowd, but
there’s no quibbling with how cleverly the pictures encapsulate the featured feeling,
or that young children do experience the emotions Hill highlights. Emotion-ID
books for youngsters are rarely this lucid, and while this performance may not be
readily grasped at the first showing, it could nonetheless be a valuable tool for a
parent-and-child chat about feelings and behavior. EB