AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile
Nick Martineau's high-energy narration intensifies this action-packed story told from the perspective of 11-year-old Luke's dog, Haru. Rabid animals, environmental disaster, media suppression, racial injustice, and--yes--zombies will all affect Luke's Korean American family and their friends. Sinclair, an environmentally negligent local company, experiences a suspicious fire, and in a menacing twist involving the Sinclair family, Haru ends up in a secret animal testing facility. Martineau is very affecting as he channels the agony of Haru and other dogs enduring horrific experiments. Timid listeners may be upset; however, more adventurous listeners will be on the edge of their seats as Martineau delivers the statewide panic when things go horribly awry at the factory. L.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 05/08/2023
Oh (the Spirit Hunters series) centers the relationship between a dog and his human in this spellbinding tale with Frankenweenie vibes. In third-person chapters that follow canine Haru Haru, the pooch recounts how he saves his 11-year-old Korean American–cued human Luke from a rabid raccoon while traipsing through the woods. The event is quickly eclipsed by a chemical fire at Sinclair, a local research laboratory that has been polluting a nearby lake. Stray cat Penelope informs Haru that Sinclair is a “bad place” where “animals go in, but they never come back out.” When Luke and Haru return to Luke’s family deli, racist remarks from their white landlady prompt a physical altercation, and after Haru lunges in Luke’s defense, he’s seized by animal control, which takes him to Sinclair. But even in his dire situation, he remains determined to return to Luke, no matter what. This riveting adventure is not without its melancholy moments, but Oh skillfully balances inexplicit descriptions of animal abuse with adrenaline-fueled action. Tender character relationships between both pup and human, and the myriad fully realized animals Haru meets along his journey, combine for a multilayered and thoroughly heartfelt must-read. Ages 8–12. Agent: Nancy Gallt, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (July)
From the Publisher
"Tender character relationships between both pup and human, and the myriad fully realized animals Haru meets along his journey, combine for a multilayered and thoroughly heartfelt must-read." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Oh covers heavy, relevant topics in this tense middle-grade novel, informing young readers about animal cruelty, environmental pollution caused by biotechnology facilities, and racial microaggressions within social-economic classes." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile
Nick Martineau's high-energy narration intensifies this action-packed story told from the perspective of 11-year-old Luke's dog, Haru. Rabid animals, environmental disaster, media suppression, racial injustice, and--yes--zombies will all affect Luke's Korean American family and their friends. Sinclair, an environmentally negligent local company, experiences a suspicious fire, and in a menacing twist involving the Sinclair family, Haru ends up in a secret animal testing facility. Martineau is very affecting as he channels the agony of Haru and other dogs enduring horrific experiments. Timid listeners may be upset; however, more adventurous listeners will be on the edge of their seats as Martineau delivers the statewide panic when things go horribly awry at the factory. L.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
