If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith - ADVISABLE

 If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith, 304 pages. Disney-Hyperion, 2020 $17. 

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (fighting) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

10yo Kirra lives a comfortable, safe life amongst family and friends, deep in the heart of a dormant volcano. Fires are kept burning at all hours to keep enemies away. Only Kirra and her father are allowed to leave the volcano and travel to nearby villages. Kirra's father is a Storyteller and captivates audiences with his fearsome tales to keep outsiders away from their land. One day Kirra can't contain her adventurous spirts and decides to leave the volcano on her own and do some investigating. Little does she know she ends up leading the Takers right back to the volcano where disaster strikes. Left with no family to call her own, Kirra eventually meets up with Luwan. His family adopts her and she finds herself living in a new village high in the trees. Determined to never let her past catch up with her, Kirra stays quiet and does not speak of her past life until Luwan is captured by the Takers and she has no choice but to speak up. Kirra discovers she is not alone and is surround by people who love and care about her, and actually need her to be their Storyteller. She soon crafts a tale and spins an adventure the village people will never forget. 

This is a compelling story of family, loss and resilience. Students will love diving into a new world deep inside of a volcano, then venturing high up to the tops of the trees for another. Matthews and Smith will have readers believing every aspect of this story and keep them coming back for more. The adventure and suspense with keep the pages turning complete with a bitter sweet ending. 

Jessica Nelson Librarian