August 31, 2020
Inspired by the 1938 classic Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Schrefer imagines a Popper descendant accidentally taking up her ancestor’s mantle. Mrs. Popper, a recently separated parent facing economic hardship, moves her children, fifth-grader Joel and third-grader Nina, to a foreclosed-upon former penguin petting zoo in a town neighboring the original Mr. Popper’s Stillwater. Upon arrival, the children discover two abandoned penguin eggs, which soon hatch. The family decides to take the chicks to the Arctic, where Mr. Popper settled his famous brood, instead of their native Antarctica. Embarking upon their mission in a boat manned by Yuca, an Inuit doctoral student who transports them in his family’s fishing craft, they run aground in the Arctic and endure a blizzard in an abandoned caretaker’s hut. Stretching the bounds of realism, the old-fashioned story avoids complicated emotions (the children don’t give one thought to their absent father) while offering pleasing imagery (the penguins “pitched over like a set of bowling pins”) and solid information about penguins in equal measure. Bringing a contemporary conscience to its predecessor, the wholesome book champions respect for animals and environmental issues within the structure of a satisfying family adventure. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management.
August 15, 2020
Joel, Nina, and their mother, Mrs. Popper, are distantly related to the family whose penguins made the town of Stillwater famous years ago. In nearby Hillport, Mrs. Popper has purchased an abandoned house that had once been a penguin petting zoo. While exploring their new home, the children discover two intact penguin eggs in the basement. They care for the eggs surreptitiously, without telling Mom. Once the eggs hatch, the baby penguins, now named Ernest and Mae, are mischievous and clever, and the secret is soon out. The family decides to bring Ernest and Mae to join the original group of penguins that was relocated to Popper Island in the Arctic--never mind that penguins' habitat is the Antarctic. They travel by boat, with Yuka, an Inuit doctoral student in zoology, as their guide and leader. Journey highlights include a penguin-caused glitch in the boat's computer systems, a vicious Arctic storm, and lively interactions with the island-based penguins. Due to a puffin problem they decide to haul all the penguins to Antarctica, their rightful habitat. Schrefer clearly greatly admires the beloved, more-than-80-year-old classic, Mr. Popper's Penguins, keeping readers informed by referring to its characters and events while adding a modern, eco-friendly viewpoint and lots of fun and laughs. Joel and Nina are sweet, resourceful, and wonderfully kind, as are Mom and Yuka. (Illustrations not seen.) Unbelievable, improbable, and illogical--but quite delightful. (Fantasy. 8-12)
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October 1, 2020
Grades 3-5 The Popper family?distant relatives of the penguin-loving Poppers of decades past?live in a rundown former penguin-petting zoo, but young siblings Joel and Nina make the best of the unusual situation, eagerly exploring the grounds. After happening upon two penguin eggs, the pair decide to incubate their findings. To their delight, two healthy chicks burst from the shells, and the Poppers decide to reunite the hatchlings with the Popper penguin crew, now flourishing in the wild on an arctic island. After chartering a boat and captain (Yuka, a knowledgeable and affable Inuit doctoral student), the modern-day Popper crew set out on their crazy quest through perilous storms, heaps of penguins, an eventful reroute to the Antarctic, and ultimately, a happy ending. There are plenty of affectionate callbacks to the original Popper tale, but Schrefer's story is an entertaining adventure of its own, and the comical penguin antics are just the tip of the narrative iceberg. Despite the completely preposterous premise, it's a joy to have Popper penguins back to play.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)