A review by mudder17
If We Were Giants by Clete Barrett Smith, Quentin Regnes, Dave Matthews, Antonio Javier Caparo

5.0

This was a wonderful surprise story about a girl told in three parts. The first part covers her life with her first family and the lessons she learned from her storytelling father and her secretive group of peaceful folk who live as a close-knit community in a volcano and show respect for nature and her resources. After her village is decimated by the "Takers" she is taken in by a family who lives in the trees and whose village as a whole are just as respectful and caring of natural resources as her first people. However, in contrast, although they are kind they tend to live very independently of their neighbors. When the "Takers" come, Kirra has to revisit memories of her trauma and remember her storytelling talent to help her second people come together as a community to fight for their lives and their land. I absolutely loved this story and ended up reading it from beginning to end in one sitting. As I recall, Dave Matthews is not only a musician, but he is very much a humanitarian and an activist for protecting our planet. Together, this trio has written a wonderful tale of hope that should appeal to many middle school children, as well as older readers. I definitely recommend this story and would definitely read a sequel if they wrote one.

Thanks to #DaveMatthews, #CleteBarrettSmith, #NetGalley and #DisneyHyperion for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.