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booksconnectus's review
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
kappareads's review
A little younger than I initially anticipated, but I'd definitely recommend this for fans of A to Z Mysteries and Cam Jansen (or whatever the more recent equivalent kids mysteries)
smallgourd's review
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ljrinaldi's review
5.0
When I was a kid, back in the Stone Age, I loved to read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Detectives. Later, when I was studying Chidlren’s Literatures, I read Encyclopieda Brown.
The point of all the above is that all the kid detectives are distrinctly White and middle or upper class. If you weren’t White or of that class, then, well, you could enjoy the stories but you wouldn’t think that you would have these sorts of adventures.
I and others have said this many, many times. Representation matters. It really does. For example, I was, and still am short and overweight. None of the heroines of my youth looked that way. I had to write my own stories of girls like that, to read stories like that. (And I wrote a lot of very bad fiction as a teenager).
So, this story is about three boys and a girl who are called the Mighty Muskrats. They are considered to be a bit underfoot, but they respect their elders on the reserve of Windy Lake (Reserve being the name that is given for the First Nation’s people’s land, much as Reservation is used in the US).
An archeologist has gone missing, and the kids try to solve the mystery of where he went, but their grandfather tells them to think as the animals do, as the birds do, to solve the mystery.
Told with a mix of modern, as the kids have access to the internet, plus knowledge of their elders, this is a wonderful mix of contemporary life, with four First Nation protagonists behaving, well, like kids do.
Chickadee, Samual, Otter and Atim are good detectives, and hopefully this book will do well enough that we can have further adventures.
Michael Hutchinson, the author is a citizen of the Mispawistik Cree Nation in the Treaty 5 Territory. He said he wrote this book to instill pride in Indigenous youth and educate others about First Nation communities, beliefs and opinions.
Highly recommend this book for everyone. Hopefully the start of a great series.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The point of all the above is that all the kid detectives are distrinctly White and middle or upper class. If you weren’t White or of that class, then, well, you could enjoy the stories but you wouldn’t think that you would have these sorts of adventures.
I and others have said this many, many times. Representation matters. It really does. For example, I was, and still am short and overweight. None of the heroines of my youth looked that way. I had to write my own stories of girls like that, to read stories like that. (And I wrote a lot of very bad fiction as a teenager).
So, this story is about three boys and a girl who are called the Mighty Muskrats. They are considered to be a bit underfoot, but they respect their elders on the reserve of Windy Lake (Reserve being the name that is given for the First Nation’s people’s land, much as Reservation is used in the US).
An archeologist has gone missing, and the kids try to solve the mystery of where he went, but their grandfather tells them to think as the animals do, as the birds do, to solve the mystery.
Told with a mix of modern, as the kids have access to the internet, plus knowledge of their elders, this is a wonderful mix of contemporary life, with four First Nation protagonists behaving, well, like kids do.
Chickadee, Samual, Otter and Atim are good detectives, and hopefully this book will do well enough that we can have further adventures.
Michael Hutchinson, the author is a citizen of the Mispawistik Cree Nation in the Treaty 5 Territory. He said he wrote this book to instill pride in Indigenous youth and educate others about First Nation communities, beliefs and opinions.
Highly recommend this book for everyone. Hopefully the start of a great series.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
musicalpopcorn's review
4.0
When an archaeologist goes missing, the four Mighty Muskrats are on the case to find him.
This book was cute. The mystery is interesting and I was really enthralled with the look into life on a modern reserve from a child’s perspective. This is a great book to learn about many different things from the science of Windy Lake, to some of the traditions and mannerisms of the people on a northern First Nations reserve. Through the eyes of the Muskrats, readers learn about issues facing modern reserves in Canada like mining companies, environmentalism, and outsiders walking the fine line between appreciation of culture and taking it away.
I can’t wait to read the second book!
This book was cute. The mystery is interesting and I was really enthralled with the look into life on a modern reserve from a child’s perspective. This is a great book to learn about many different things from the science of Windy Lake, to some of the traditions and mannerisms of the people on a northern First Nations reserve. Through the eyes of the Muskrats, readers learn about issues facing modern reserves in Canada like mining companies, environmentalism, and outsiders walking the fine line between appreciation of culture and taking it away.
I can’t wait to read the second book!
erinsbookshelves's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jbells7's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jennybeastie's review
4.0
Wait, this is book 1? Well, ok -- so it does drop you in the middle of things, and it reads like a sequel rather than a first book. However, it's a great story, the community on the Reserve is close-knit and interesting to read about. The Muskrats are a great crew and I love that they all have different talents. Really enjoyed that half the story was about their older cousin staging a protest and attempting to become a water protector, even if the resolution was muddy. The push and pull between needing jobs and protecting the environment is always going to be muddy. Very Canadian/First Nations specific.
homosexual's review
4.0
My Booktube
A cute mystery novel that would be perfect for kids in late elementary/early Middle school!
I do think that the sequel managed to pull me in more, but this one is still really good once you get sucked into it all. Of course, I am 22 and not the target audience so I don't have much to say besides the fact that I enjoyed my time reading it!
A cute mystery novel that would be perfect for kids in late elementary/early Middle school!
I do think that the sequel managed to pull me in more, but this one is still really good once you get sucked into it all. Of course, I am 22 and not the target audience so I don't have much to say besides the fact that I enjoyed my time reading it!
goldfishreads's review
4.0
A great book that reminded me of the mysteries I used to read a kid! I rarely learned about First Nations peoples and cultures in elementary school unless it was about Canadian history. I think this book would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries where First Nations and Indigenous children and people are represented as more than history but members of present day society, and as cool kids solving mysteries on the rez! The short chapters make it great for a read aloud and there are so many topics that happen in this book that can lead to other conversations related to Indigenous rights and environmental issues. I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to see what the Mighty Muskrats solve next!