The Monarchs of Winghaven

Starred review from February 19, 2024
Every day, 11-year-old aspiring naturalist Samantha Tabitha Smith visits the Field, an overrun patch of wilderness where nature flourishes. There she works on her journal, observing and studying the local flora and fauna. When she meets budding nature photographer Bram Layton, who’s a year ahead of her in school, she initially resents his presence in her space, but the two swiftly bond over their love of science and the Field, which they name Winghaven. To showcase Winghaven’s importance, they spend the summer studying the resident monarch butterflies and their relationship to the ecosystem. But when it looks as if they’ll lose their space to encroaching property developers, they must fight for what they love. In this gently passionate tribute to natural spaces, a children’s debut, Moreira adeptly brings the setting to life via detailed descriptions of wildlife and foliage alongside pen illustrations from Sammie’s journal. Grounding environmental awareness and deforestation worries with Sammie’s personal struggles surrounding dealing with bullies and managing her temper, Moreira delivers a fulfilling tale. Major characters cue as white. Notes for young naturalists conclude. Ages 8–12. Agent: Allison Hellegers, Stimola Literary.

March 1, 2024
Grades 4-6 The one place Sammie feels she belongs, away from school bullies and busy parents, is at the abandoned lot down the road, where she can immerse herself in studying the abundant plants and animals that live there. A hesitant friendship with new kid in town Bram grows into a sibling-like camaraderie as they discover they can learn more about the verdant landscape together than they can apart. Supported by a kindly scientist, they develop their natural observation skills by tracking endangered monarch butterflies and use their data to defend the property when it's threatened by developers. Sammie's growth centers around her newfound understanding that collaboration is more effective than isolation. Poet and science journalist Moreira's debut children's novel will educate and empower conservation-minded readers, as it's chock-full of nature facts and examples of real citizen science, including Sammie's field notes (illustrated by Moreira) and back matter with advice for young naturalists. Sammie's story will appeal to anyone who likes to marvel at the natural world up close, particularly readers who are as zealous about science as she is.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024
Poised between novel and information book, this story features Samantha, an eleven-year-old wildlife enthusiast who finds joy and excitement in a neglected natural area she christens Winghaven. An anxious new kid in town, she has to cope with a school bully and overly busy parents. Such conventional middle-grade plot elements pale beside crisp, detailed descriptions of the natural world -- the particular mating flight of mourning doves, the ingenious sand traps of the antlion, a close-up of a muskrat lodge: "The mother muskrat reached out and pulled a plant to her mouth with one tiny, four-fingered black hand, drawing it to yellowed teeth." Samantha and her new pal Bram, a photographer, brave the challenges of ticks, poison ivy, the slog of data collection, and adult cynicism to organize a campaign to save Winghaven from property developers, using a data-based argument involving the essential relationship between milkweed and the monarch butterfly. Samantha's field notebook of observations and sketches provides a parallel narrative and could certainly inspire young citizen scientists and activists. Back matter includes "Notes for Young Naturalists," with book recommendations and links to such projects as the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. Sarah Ellis

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 15, 2024
Two children discover that a love of nature can change lives. Inherently a loner with a scientific bent of mind and a gift for writing, 11-year-old Sammie loves to explore the Field, a vacant plot of land near her New England home. Although she promised her working mother she wouldn't go there alone, she does anyway, bringing her journal (whose pages are included effectively in the story) to record and draw the flora and fauna. One day, she encounters Bram, a boy about her age, standing in the Field with a camera. Protective, Sammie demands to know what he's doing there, and she's skeptical and defensive when he says he goes there every day, too, and asks about her notebook. After this rocky start, the two team up to explore Winghaven, the name they decide to give the land. They meet graduate student Pete, who's doing an insect study, and he encourages them to participate in an Audubon Society science symposium. The new friends decide to present the project they've been working on--counting monarch butterfly caterpillars. This story contains genuine tension (a threat to Winghaven's existence), as well as accurate scientific information about the plants, birds, and insects of a New England landscape; it also includes nuanced characterization and relatable themes, such as a storyline about a school bully. Perhaps most importantly, though, the ending is immensely satisfying and encouraging for readers. Characters read white. Empowering. (map, notes for young naturalists) (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
Poised between novel and information book, this story features Samantha, an eleven-year-old wildlife enthusiast who finds joy and excitement in a neglected natural area she christens Winghaven. An anxious new kid in town, she has to cope with a school bully and overly busy parents. Such conventional middle-grade plot elements pale beside crisp, detailed descriptions of the natural world -- the particular mating flight of mourning doves, the ingenious sand traps of the antlion, a close-up of a muskrat lodge: "The mother muskrat reached out and pulled a plant to her mouth with one tiny, four-fingered black hand, drawing it to yellowed teeth." Samantha and her new pal Bram, a photographer, brave the challenges of ticks, poison ivy, the slog of data collection, and adult cynicism to organize a campaign to save Winghaven from property developers, using a data-based argument involving the essential relationship between milkweed and the monarch butterfly. Samantha's field notebook of observations and sketches provides a parallel narrative and could certainly inspire young citizen scientists and activists. Back matter includes "Notes for Young Naturalists," with book recommendations and links to such projects as the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)