Written by Sophie
Another YA book, also from the 2022 Ursula K. le Guin Prize shortlist that I’m making my way through, and I really enjoyed this. Little Badger is a natural storyteller, from a culture of storytellers. I loved the characters, both the human and Animal People ones, and the plight to save Oli’s best friend Ami (the absolute sweetest little toad) felt real. I loved the traits the Animal People retained whenever they were in their false (human) forms, they were well-considered!
Some urgent current themes such as climate change, losing cultural heritage, and the mega-rich getting mega-richer are handled seriously, with a light touch. The relationships felt real to me, and I just love it when folks treat one another with kindness and respect. I feel a little skeptic about the way Nina used her voice-activated camera and phone, but that’s probably because I never use voice-activated anything on my phone (let alone in my house).
All in all, a really enjoyable read. I will be checking out Little Badger’s previous book Elatsoe later on in the year for sure.
One last thing: this book is so beautifully made!
N.B.: This review was first published on Instagram by @sophie_bookseller
