From the Publisher
"Nerds and fashionistas alike can rejoice: Natalie is the unapologetically awesome heroine we've all been waiting for! Fresh and fun, this story is a love letter to paleontology, a great example of women in STEM, and a victory for anyone who's ever wanted to change what they see in the mirror. I can't say it enough: this book is a must-read!" —Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series
"This book brings me back to my teenage years, when I fell in love with paleontology. A fun story told with unapologetic verve, Mammoth reminds us that science must be open to anyone who has the passion and ambition to learn new things about the world. Natalie's enthusiasm and drive to follow her dreams are a great example for young people considering a career in science." —Steve Brusatte, paleontologist at University of Edinburgh and bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
School Library Journal
11/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—An engaging, complex heroine with an intriguing love of fashion and paleontology enables this story to succeed despite its less-than-credible plot. Natalie is a rising high school junior who, despite years of enduring fat jokes and cruel pranks, manages to hide her insecurities behind an easygoing, confident demeanor. She has learned to use body sculpting undergarments, flattering clothing, and makeup to redefine herself. Armed with a daily mantra of "be awesome," Natalie authors a popular blog that is part fashion and completely "paleo geek." This summer she has won an internship at the Central Texas Mammoth Site where she'll get hands-on experience working with fossils. Dressed to the nines, she heads off to follow in the footsteps of her paleontologist idol, Dr. Thomas Carver. Unfortunately, she's failed to account for the wilting Texas heat, the need for practical shoes, or the possibility of a summer romance. To her additional surprise, her fellow intern and roommate is the petite, cynical daughter of her idol. It doesn't take long to discover that there's a dark side to her desired profession that, devastating to Natalie, is personified by Dr. Carver and threatens the site where she's interning. Natalie determines to make the most of this opportunity, though, by using her considerable smarts, talent, and newfound daring. Sadly, her willingness to risk everything to unearth a rare fossil comes at an unexpected cost. In the end, she begins to recognize her intelligence and bravery as her defining qualities, and this revelation boosts her self-confidence and minimizes her preoccupation with her weight. VERDICT Science, fashion, and romance combine in this adventure with lots of appeal. A general purchase.—Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA
DECEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Carly Robins portrays Natalie, the plus-size fossil-loving heroine, as the unabashedly awesome teenager she is. As she spends her summer interning at an Ice Age dig, Natalie’s exuberance gets her into trouble repeatedly, painfully, and always in a fashion true to her character—whether she’s crushing on a boy who is able to see past her image or giving into moments of weakness in order to follow her paleontological passion. Listeners will particularly enjoy Robins’s pitch-perfect depictions of the spectacles at the dig, particularly the nonsensical alcohol-soaked arguments of teenagers who are unused to alcohol. The drama continues when Natalie and her friend Quinn’s delight at making a potentially great find turns to anger when Natalie’s greatest hero, Quinn’s father, steals the credit. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
