From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Once again nine-year-old Riley receives a summons to help his Uncle Max, a research scientist who travels around the world. This time the assignment is to track down a missing female panda that has escaped from China's Wolong Panda Reserve. Riley accompanies his aunt and uncle and cousin to the Jiuzhaigou Valley, 800 miles west of Beijing, to learn more about pandas' native habitat. After observing plants and animals there, they head to Wolong. Their trek up the isolated mountains quickly turns dangerous after their return path is blocked by a landslide. Fortunately, the reserve has Wi-Fi so Uncle Max can send an SOS from his laptop. In the meantime, Riley locates not only the female panda, but also her baby. Cartoon drawings of the humans are juxtaposed with photos of plants, animals, and scenic views. Text boxes provide factual information about flora and fauna by quoting scientific experts who appear in tiny portraits. Additional facts are incorporated into conversations between Max and his aunt. The book concludes with a glossary and map, plus a page inviting readers to visit Riley's Web site, which includes an invitation to join Riley's kids' club, information about the books' characters, games, and plenty of opportunities to buy Riley merchandise. Anyone searching for straightforward information about pandas will need to consult additional sources.—
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
AMANDA LUMRY is from Bellevue, Washington. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University after studying photography in the Visual Environmental Studies department. LAURA HURWITZ lives in North Haven, Connecticut. She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a major in English.
