Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2018 | -- |
Perma-Bound Edition ©2022 | -- |
Publisher's Hardcover ©2018 | -- |
Paperback ©2022 | -- |
A skeptical middle schooler gets more than she bargained for in her own search for Bigfoot.Asian-American Miranda Cho, 12, has big plans, with the lists to prove it. She is student-body president and aims to go to a prestigious leadership camp in Washington, D.C. The only problem is that she is on the verge of losing credits from too many absences. Her mom, Kat, who is also Asian-American, is a cryptozoologist—a serious one. This means last-minute trips to remote wilderness chasing the next big sighting of Bigfoot with little success. Her anxiety surfacing in a hair-pulling habit, Miranda tries to take her mom's comical eccentricities in stride until she discovers a drawer full of unpaid bills threatening eviction and any possibility of her dreams coming true. Desperate, she plans her own Bigfoot search with her mom with the goal of shaming her into reality and, at the very least, responsible parenting. Very quickly her plans fall through, leading her to question everything. Although Miranda is introduced as the perfect Asian student, Kat acts as a foil and provides conflict enough to allow a fully rounded personality to develop. Eagar has a beautiful way with words. Her complex internal dialogues and descriptors allow readers to visualize, in minute detail, every physical and mental aspect of each character and their current surroundings. However, these skillfully in-depth descriptors often usurp the pace and plot.Unlike the elusive Bigfoot, there is little left to the imagination in this quirky mother-daughter story for studious readers. (Fiction. 11-14)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)Eager
Having a mother who's a cryptozoologist sounds like fun, but following her childlike whims leaves Miranda feeling like the adult in their single-parent home. Miranda holds herself together by keeping detailed to-do lists, being a perfect student, and pinning her hopes on getting into a competitive summer leadership camp. Miranda is already stressed more than any seventh-grader should be, and her worries skyrocket when she finds a pile of unpaid bills. There's only one thing to do nvince Mom that Bigfoot isn't real, so she'll get a real job and start acting like a responsible grownup. To accomplish this, Miranda agrees to go on one more Bigfoot hunt, one guided by scientific methodology and her own itinerary. Eagar continues to show her talents as a writer in her third novel, which is rooted in Miranda's internal struggles. Readers hoping for a zany creature caper should look elsewhere, but those who appreciate introspection will be absorbed by Miranda's circling thoughts, worries, and anger, and what turns out to be an eye-opening adventure marked by danger and the fantastic.
Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)Jax meets Ma--who has just received a package containing three dragons. The dragons cannot stay in Brooklyn ("They came from one world, and they're on their way to another"), and the pair's quest to deliver the creatures takes several unexpected turns involving time travel, magic, and a host of vividly portrayed characters. This likable, suspenseful illustrated novel is a welcome addition to the underpopulated genre of African American middle-grade fantasy.
Kirkus Reviews
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)
Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
From the author of Hour of the Bees comes another captivating story that deftly blurs the line between reality and magic — and will leave you wondering What if?
The Loch Ness Monster. The Frogman. Bigfoot. Twelve-year-old Miranda Cho used to believe in it all, used to love poring over every strange footprint, every stray hair, everything that proved that the world was full of wonders. But that was before her mother’s obsession with monsters cost Miranda her friends and her perfect school record, before Miranda found the stack of unopened bills and notices of foreclosure in the silverware drawer. Now the fact that her mom’s a cryptozoologist doesn’t seem wonderful — it’s embarrassing and irresponsible, and it could cost them everything. So Miranda agrees to go on one last creature hunt, determined to use all her scientific know-how to prove to her mother, once and for all, that Bigfoot isn’t real. Then her mom will have no choice but to grow up and get a real job — one that will pay the mortgage and allow Miranda to attend the leadership camp of her dreams. But when the trip goes horribly awry, will it be Miranda who’s forced to question everything she believes?