ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

What stinks worse than having his parents suspect him of hiding his little sister's tricycle is knowing they will never believe the truth: a pair of skunks stole it in the night. Mateo Martinez knows what he saw, and he is determined to prove it. After a disastrous attempt to ambush the varmints ends with Mateo getting sprayed in the face, he learns something else incredible: the skunks can talk. He enlists the help of his friend Ashwin and begrudgingly lets kid sister Mila join the quest to retrieve the trike. What ensues is an imaginative backyard adventure with light touches of fantasy. The first few chapters leading up to the nighttime escapades are slowed by repetitive writing, but those who persevere will find much to like. Mateo is an admirable character striving to live by a knight's code of honor, while struggling with a lost friendship and school bullies. His gallantry, developing relationship with Mila, and antics with the neighborhood wildlife make for quite the charming tale.

Horn Book (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Mexican American fourth grader Mateo's former friend is bullying him and new friend Ashwin; Mateo's assertive little sister annoys him; and he's just witnessed skunks stealing his old tricycle. Mateo launches a fight for the trike and discovers the talking skunks have bullies of their own. This slightly-too-weird mashup of animal fantasy and contemporary realism limns worthy topics, including racial identity and sibling dynamics.

School Library Journal (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Gr 3-6 A middle grade story with a smidgen of fantasy, in which the intrepid protagonist tackles new and old friendships, his sense of belonging and letting go, and the unbelievable disappearance of his beloved trike. Mateo Martinez is a fourth grader who swears that his trike was stolen by two talking skunks. His family, younger sister Mila, and new best friend Ashwin bear with Mateo's claim and believe they are dreams, because Mateo constantly dreams of being a medieval knight. From confronting bullies at school and coping with Johnny not being his best friend anymore to strengthening his friendship with Ashwin, Mateo must embark on a quest to figure out who he is, while tracking down the stinky creatures who stole his trike. In this debut novel, Yardi draws parallels between the fantasy world of talking animals and Mateo's reality of growing up and finding himself. Throughout the book, the protagonist confronts internal battles about being Mexican American but not being able to speak Spanish as well as his views of race and ethnicity and who belongs in his neighborhood and in the occupied city of Santa Barbara. On this particular point, the author doesn't expand much. VERDICT A fun, action-filled tale whose protagonist has a distinct and sincere young voice. Recommended for collections and libraries that serve a lower middle grade population. Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, MA