Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

As summer comes to an end, and the kids head back to school,  there is still time for one more great summer read – Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson.

Madi, Aaron and Jack are young friends who live on the shore of Lake Wild in the town of Willow Grove.

We meet the trio, and the dog, Lid, as they are paddling on the lake and come across two adult beavers, dead, floating in the water. Madi, whose Nana had been a wildlife rehabilitater, knows a great deal about the rescue of wild animals, and knows there are probably orphaned beaver kits in the nearby lodge. She is right, and they manage to rescue, and then care for, a pair of very young beaver kits. They must keep this a secret though, as Madi’s mother has strictly told her “no more “.

The town of Willow Grove is at war with beavers – the locals are taking it into their own hands to kill the beavers and prevent them from damming up culverts and flooding roads and farmland.

As Madi and her friends attempt to keep the secret kits alive, family life goes on. Parents are at work and kids push the boundaries, both Madi and her friends, and Madi’s older sister.

I was impressed by the realistic portrayal of the world of the children, and the adults, in this novel, as well as the story of the rescue, and survival, of the beaver kits. The conflict of the needs of the town and their eventual, satisfactory, realization that there are ways to live in harmony with wildlife is very well done. The young characters are well developed, and have family concerns as all children do, as well as the need to feel useful and accomplished – which they most certainly are.