Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A Ghanaian youngster is excited to finally explore the island that his late father had helped transform into a bird sanctuary.In this engaging sequel to Crossing the Stream (2021), Ato and his friends Dzifa and Leslie join other young people for a weeklong visit to Nnoma. By taking part in activities such as photographing wild animals by night and building rafts out of natural materials, they have a chance to earn the title of Asafo, a protector of the natural world, which had been Ato's father's wish for him. Ato is also determined to discover his father's plan to protect the island from those who would do it harm. The activities are both physically and mentally challenging, leaving Ato little time to look into his father's plan. And as they approach the end of the week, Eyra, the island's owner, who had seemed so charismatic and wise, starts to behave erratically. Ato and his friends must work together to figure out what's going on-and safeguard the island. Ato is, once again, an irresistible hero, and his friends, old and new, are well-rounded contributing characters. Baitie offers a beautiful depiction of contemporary Ghana, with rich cultural details that ground the narrative and create a page-turning experience.A highly affecting novel about young people working together to preserve the richness of their environment. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A Ghanaian youngster is excited to finally explore the island that his late father had helped transform into a bird sanctuary.In this engaging sequel to Crossing the Stream (2021), Ato and his friends Dzifa and Leslie join other young people for a weeklong visit to Nnoma. By taking part in activities such as photographing wild animals by night and building rafts out of natural materials, they have a chance to earn the title of Asafo, a protector of the natural world, which had been Ato's father's wish for him. Ato is also determined to discover his father's plan to protect the island from those who would do it harm. The activities are both physically and mentally challenging, leaving Ato little time to look into his father's plan. And as they approach the end of the week, Eyra, the island's owner, who had seemed so charismatic and wise, starts to behave erratically. Ato and his friends must work together to figure out what's going on-and safeguard the island. Ato is, once again, an irresistible hero, and his friends, old and new, are well-rounded contributing characters. Baitie offers a beautiful depiction of contemporary Ghana, with rich cultural details that ground the narrative and create a page-turning experience.A highly affecting novel about young people working together to preserve the richness of their environment. (Fiction. 8-12)

School Library Journal (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 5–7— In an exciting companion novel to Crossing the Stream , Ato and his friends, Dzifa and Leslie, are trying to earn their way into becoming Afaso—the guardians of an island preserve that Ato's dad was also trying help before he died. The path to becoming an Afaso is difficult, both mentally and physically, but Ato is determined to make his father proud and find the message that his father hid for him so long ago. Ato and his friends have many tasks to complete and lessons to learn, like photographing wild animals at night and hiking to the top of a mountain. However, dark forces seem to be gathering, and when the owner of the island, Eyra, seems like a completely different person in her speech and actions, the friends hatch a plan to figure out if she's been poisoned. This is a fast-paced mystery with themes of friendship and conservation set in Ghana. It will appeal to activists as well as mystery buffs. VERDICT A good follow-up to the first book, this also works as a standalone. Both are fine additions to middle grade collections.— Debbie Tanner