Saving Bigfoot Valley: A Sasquatch Coming of Age story for Kids 9-12

by Spike Brown, S.D. Brown

Arth is a Bigfoot tween.

Something's wrong in Bigfoot Valley.
It's a secret location, but it won't be secret for long.
Not unless Arrth can save the day.

It's a big task for a young Sasquatch.
He's never left the Northern California redwood valley by himself.

He's heard of Bigfoot hunters and trackers. He knows the dangers of going outside.
He has a real shock when he meets his first skin-face.

Even though he's tempted to go home, he knows he must save his family and all the Bigfoots who are depending on him.
Will Arrth succeed?

Dive into this hair-raising mystery adventure of a boy who's not quite a boy—or a monster who's not quite a monster.
You'll never look at Bigfoot the same.

For fans of The Imaginary Veterinary Series, the Loch Ness monster, the Yeti and other unsolved mysteries.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2013

Reviews

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 3.9

Book "Saving Bigfoot Valley" by S.D. Brown is a YA fun story about young Bigfoot Arrth and his adventures beyond the invisible boundaries of the valley where Bigfoot lives.

The story follows young Bigfoot Arrth, who, due to his mistake, threatens the entire Hidden Valley where the Bigfoot colony lives. Since he is in his youthful phase, he loses his fur to save the valley. He decides to go to where people live to restore the stone he created invisibly protects the community. Since he has a few days, it will be a big task and an adventure that will change his life.

I would recommend the book to fans of YA science fiction associated with the legend of Bigfoot.

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast-paced book is about Arrth, a young bigfoot undergoing puberty, who makes a big mistake that puts his home valley in grave danger. Arrth determines to remedy his error, but has only a limited time to do so. His resolve takes him out of familiar forest surroundings into a community of skin-faces (that would be us humans). As the clock counts down on Bigfoot Valley, Arrth must deal with a flood of new experiences and people and one tense situation after another.
I liked the internal logic of the story, such as the idea that when young bigfoots morph into adulthood, they lose their fur and for several months look just like skin-faces. And they have tech, quite a lot of it, including cloaking devices that hide their valley from prying eyes. A critical component of this system has been stolen, and Arrth has to recover it before Bigfoot Valley is revealed to humans. Mentions of plants and birds found in western North America give an authentic flavour to the setting. And bigfoot slang is kind of cool.
As well as the race against the clock, the book offers an often hilarious view of dealing with the new and unfamiliar. Like clothing, for example. And a bully. And flirtatious girls. The situation gets grim as the time left to save the valley shortens. Arrth must call on his native ingenuity and the help of a trusted few to get the job done.
This was a fun read. Arrth is a sympathetic character I just had to root for. Along with the fast pace and gripping plot, his story should be a fun read for kids and adults alike.

[D. Peach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amazon cover of this book doesn’t do it justice since it’s not actually a frightening story. On the contrary, it’s funny, clever, and thoroughly endearing. What an awesome read. I recommend it any kid and to any adult who enjoys reading chapter books to their children.

Arrth is a kid bigfoot, who at the awkward age of seventy-seven has to undergo a “Night Out” to transition into manhood. His one night beyond the safe borders of Bigfoot Valley ends up being a lot longer. The cloaking device that protects the valley and his clan from the skin-faces has been stolen and he’s determined to get it back.

Temporarily hairless (a result of puberty), Arrth finds himself in a town of skin-faces, dealing with foster care, school, cars, and a host of other unfamiliar challenges, including what to do with socks and underwear. The results are hilarious. But Arrth has a serious mission and his determination to save his clan drives the story onward at a fast clip. There are plenty of obstacles along the way that threaten his success.

Arrth is a sweet kid, kind and brave at heart, and thoroughly relatable. I enjoyed the wide variety of colorful characters and their distinct personalities. Middle school kids will connect with the friendships as well as Arrth’s experiences with adults and other kids inside and outside of school.

The bigfoot technology is fun and clever. The author does a wonderful job of creating Arrth’s vocabulary for the strange things he encounters in the skin-face world. The writing is fresh and the story delightful. An easy 5-star rating and highly recommended.

[Cameron Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch out for Bigfoot, in a valley by you!

Any tween and teen will find this book funny, exciting and engaging.

Arrth just wants what any kid wants: freedom, fun, answers to existence and anything other than the status quo. He finds all of these and more when he adventures beyond the limits of Bigfoot Valley and stumbles into the heady world of humanity, exposing his Bigfoot family and all that he loves to existential danger.

Brown has a clear and mellow voice which has the book appeal to its target audience, and its imminent deadline carries the reader along from start to finish. There are many positive messages throughout the book’s pages that most, if not all, parents would love to convey to their children.

I recommend Saving Bigfoot Valley as a fun and exciting read.

[James Maxstadt · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can go wrong, will

Poor Aarth. After making a horrible mistake, for all the right reasons, nothing seems to go right for him. He ends up having to leave his home and enter a foreign world to make amends, all to make amends and fix the problem he’s caused before the clock runs out.
Saving Bigfoot Valley is a fun kids book. It’s full of adventure, humor, and enough action to keep the story moving forward and entertaining. It’s silly and unbelievable, and that’s all part of the charm.
Pick this one up for your kids. They’ll enjoy it.

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the kind of Bigfoot story you would expect…

Arrth is a young Bigfoot, living in his high-tech nature preserve, concealed and protected from Skin-face sight by a holographic shield. Like most youngsters he is adventurous and takes risks that the adults find dangerous. But things become really dangerous when he breaks through the shield to save a rabbit from being killed by a flesh-eating Skin-face and the events that follow change things for Arrth and his community in drastic ways - and it’s all his fault! Armed with the kind of gadgets Q might bestow upon James Bond, Arrth sets out alone into the skin-face world to put things right.

What I really liked:
I loved this book. it was completely not what I expected it to be and in the best possible way. It has humour, adventure, pathos and some wonderful observations of the human condition that are perfect for the pre-teen audience it is intended for.
The excellent tension building with the countdown reminders every chapter and events cleverly written so each new obstacle made perfect sense.

What I struggled with:
Character inconsistency. Aarth sometimes seemed a lot younger than we are told he is in the book- especially for an only child raised exclusively amongst adults and with only one companion of roughly his own age. Also his inability to grasp the oddities of our world seemed to be determined more by humour factor than anything else as sometimes he needed no explanation or was very quick to catch on.

Overall:
Highly recommended for it’s target audience age-group - but also for adults most of whom I think will really enjoy this! A clear and true 5 stars!

[Hock Tjoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a seventy-seven-year-old bigfoot, Arrth. That makes him a "tween," on the verge of "almost-adult." One sign - like voice changing - is losing his hair in patches. He is warned not to eat apples during this period. Within this bigfoot community, he is the only "child." He wishes he still had a friend to discuss earth-shaking things like the Night Out. Taahmic, his best friend had a night out and disappeared.

The dialog is smart-alecky. "You haven’t been tree flying again, have you?” / “Who, me?” he said, thinking may rotten slime drop on the old tattletale's head." This gets a little old but is mostly refreshing. The author also has a clever device with which to pace the story. Something has gone wrong and the community will lose its cloaking device within five days. Aarth has more than an idea what went wrong. He has to find the device or the "skin-faces" will learn about the bigfoot community.

Perhaps there is too much reliance on this plot, as the story seems like a forced march from that point but it is still an entertaining read.

[Mark Engels · Rating 3 out of 5]

“…as exciting as watching worm snot drip off a blade of grass…” From the very first line, our author tells us exactly what sort of book this is going to be. It features a coming-of-age Sasquatch boy whose trials, tribulations and triumphs tweens and teens will find relatable (along with their parents.) And whose comedic bumbling readers of all ages will surely find endearing. The “Night Out” concept reminded me strongly of an abbreviate version of an Amish community’s Rumspringa, or at least popular media portrayals of same. It added an interesting element to the requisite awkwardness and tomfoolery, common to teenagers regardless of their species it would seem. All amplified, of course, by our young hero finding himself a stranger in a strange land besides when he leaves the protection of his clan’s sheltered valley in order to help save it. The fact his reckless actions put his home and clansmen in peril in the first place, though…

The book could well have done with another copyediting pass or two, what with enough duplicated lines and formatting errors to draw attention to themselves. There were also places where pronouns get clumsy—in a room in which a man and a boy are interacting with little more stage direction than “he this” and “he that,” this reader found it hard to process just who was doing what.

This reader also struggled through many of the conflict points in the book, seeming to be resolved a little too easily, a little too simplistically, a little too conveniently. Any tension the first few instances might have held withered away by the book’s middle, knowing that some Deus Ex sort of resolution would surely deliver our protagonist from whatever predicament he faced. Like how a man stepping forward with an offer to help on his quest becomes quite familiar indeed. And how the young woman he takes into his confidence becomes intrigued and curious by who and what he is, rather than freaking out like a reader—including this one—might expect her to baring additional details about her character.

The author drew many parallels between the Bigfoots society and ours, but some were completely unexpected and drew me out of the story—both just happen to have a “five cent” currency denomination? Readers might conclude Arrth could learn how to drive by watching the “skin faces” do it, but where would he have learned to pull over to the side of the road so as to permit a lights-and-sirens ambulance to pass?

Reservations aside, an easy and fast-paced read which members of its target audience will surely enjoy.

[Cameron Ayers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a coming-of-age story with an amusingly offbeat premise: What would the human world look like to an outsider who’s only knowledge of humans comes from propaganda that casts us in the worst possible light? Arrth is a young-ish sasquatch whose clan lives in rural California, hidden from prying human eyes by a bubble shield, courtesy of the clan’s advanced technology. Only the bumbling youngster —whose incompetence nears Frank Drebin and Maxwell Smart levels — loses a critical shield component in his first encounter with a human. This causes the shield to slowly fail, giving him a little over five days to infiltrate the human world and reclaim this device or risk his clan’s exposure.

It’s an amusing set-up, perfect for the target audience: pre-teens and young teens. The writing is likewise simple and approachable, with relatively few big words likely to confound younger readers. But taken as a whole, I don’t think the book fully lives up to its potential.

Let’s start with the positives.

Much of the book’s considerable charm stems from Arrth’s outsider perspective on the mundane realities of human life: driving, metaphorical language, fashion, etc. All the peculiarities of modern life that indoctrinated adults take for granted seem so inexplicable and scary to Arrth, making him an ideal vessel for the target readership.

Chapters are very short, perfect for younger readers with limited attention spans. There’s also a running timer at the top of each chapter, indicating how much longer Arrth has before the shield goes down and his clan is revealed, which is a great way to maintain tension as well as quickly bring readers up to speed if they put the book down for a week or two.

The plot moves at a brisk pace, again to hold younger readers’ attention. While this would seem to be at odds with a story heavily focused on wry observation of everyday life, the two work surprisingly well together because they’re framed in the context of Arrth’s bumbling attempts to blend in with human society, often with humorous results.

But not everything here works so well.

For starters, most of the supporting characters —especially the children — are mere cardboard cutouts, bereft of any personality or traits that don’t fit their one-dimensional purpose. The jerkish bully is never anything other than a jerkish bully. His flirty sister is just that: she’s his sister and she flirts with Arrth. She’s literally never anything else.

Much of the storyline is muddled. Characters leap in and out of the narrative seemingly at random. Arrth’s foster mother is one of the most important characters in the second act. But in the third act, she disappears, never to be heard from again. A rivalry between two of Arrth’s classmates over his affection seems 100 percent superfluous, as it adds nothing to the characters or narrative. Another facet of the muddled storyline is the number of side quests Arrth is forced to tackle to reclaim the missing shield component. There are so many side quests that at times it feels less like Arrth is on a heroic quest to save his people and more like he’s a marionette dancing on everyone else’s strings. That’s not a quality I usually look for in a leading character.

One big problem I had with the book — though target readers are unlikely to have the same reaction — is the author’s seeming aversion to basic research. Early on in the second act, Arrth is located by Meeker, who places him with a foster family and enrolls him in school. While it’s never stated, I assumed Meeker works for social services because no other state agency can do these things. But near the end of the book, he’s identified by his role for the first time: truant officer. Huh? Ignoring the fact that California doesn’t have truant officers (and doesn’t appear to have had any for many years), truant officers work for the school system. School employees are NOT empowered to place a wayward child with a foster family (and don’t even get me started on the circumstances of his placement, which are absurd on their face). In another instance, Meeker calls the regional newspaper to gin up interest in a bigfoot sighting because “they pay real money.” Only supermarket tabloids pay for stories because journalistic ethics forbids the practice. And the paper identified as paying for the story is located on the other side of the country … and has been defunct for decades. Obviously, I don’t expect younger readers to know any of this, nor does any of it significantly impact the narrative, but is it really so hard to Google the name of the regional newspaper? It’s the Mad River Union, for what it’s worth. When I do more research in my review of a book than the author did in writing it, that’s a bad sign!

Overall, I think this is an underdeveloped book that coasts on its considerable charm and amusingly askance outlook. I really wanted to like this more.

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arth is a young bigfoot on the verge of the changes to become an adult. Like all youngsters eager to grow up, he chafes under the restrictions that his parents place on him. What Arth lacks in wisdom and patience, he makes up for with courage and enthusiasm. If he possessed more of the former, he would need less of the latter.

The bigfoot community lives within a valley protected from the skin-faces (humans) by a cloaking mechanism. While investigating the outer limits of the bigfoot territory, Arth sees a skin-face about to shoot a rabbit. Arth decides impulsively to save the rabbit. Breaking every rule, he bursts through the cloaking shield and assaults the skin-face, saving the rabbit. To escape the skin-face who turns his gun on Arth, he throws a nearby chunk of granite at the skin-face as Arth makes his escape back into bigfoot territory.

Arth begins to loose his fur which he learns from his mother is a sign that he is changing from a cub to an adult. And there is now talk about Arth going on his "night-out," a ritual that is part of the transition to adulthood. Arth's worries about growing up take a backseat when the cloaking field starts to fail. Arth learns that the rock he threw at the skin-face is part of the cloaking field and without it, the field will fail within a few days and force the community to relocate.

Arth decides he must fix the problem that he has created by retrieving the rock. All his fur has fallen out. He now looks like a skin-face. He convinces the bigfoot in charge of technology to assist him. Arth leaves the valley for the first time and ventures into the skin-face world. He has his courage and enthusiasm but very little knowledge of where he's going and very little time to complete his mission.

Saving Bigfoot Valley is a delightful story of growing up and friendship. There are many comic moments as we see human society from the eyes of an outsider. If you enjoy a good adventure tale in which every well-laid plan seems to go horribly awry, you will love this story.

[Mary Elizabeth Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Bigfoot Valley is a terrific story for mid-grade readers. The likeable protagonist, a young Bigfoot named Aarth, does something that endangers his secret community, a community that has lived for hundreds of years behind an invisible wall in Bigfoot Valley.
Much of this tale is devoted to Aarth's well-meaning attempts to fix the problem he caused. To begin with, he must infiltrate the nearby human town of Willow Creek. Such a venture is fraught with peril, but Aarth is full of good intentions and has one good idea after another. But as is typical of a twelve year old, he is easily distracted by food, girls and games. Navigating the skin-face world lands him in trouble over and over again.
While the tension builds page by page, there is a good deal of comic relief, such as the scene when Aarth tries to put on new clothes. More humour comes from Aarth's tendency to take words literally. The Bigfeet and the skin-faces share a common language, but Aarth frequently misunderstands instructions to hilarious effect. As Aarth would say, sometimes skin-faces are “snarfing weird”.
The Bigfoot world that Spike Brown has invented is a curious but delightful place, a strange mix of the primitive and high tech. The Bigfeet live in caves and forage for acorns. They seemingly have neither industry nor agriculture and how their economy operates is not explained. Although they have tables and chairs, Aarth sleeps on a moss mattress and covers himself with a spider-web blanket. But they have video games and smart phones. Indeed they are technologically ahead of the skin-faces, the humans who live in the town.
I particularly enjoyed seeing the skin-faces from Aarth's point of view. He is appalled to learn that these ugly monsters, as he sees them, trap, kill and eat other creatures and even kill one another. He finds out too that some can become loyal friends. Meticulously edited and well written, Saving Bigfoot Valley is a highly entertaining book.

[Bianca Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saving Bigfoot Valley is a coming of age adventure story where the male protagonist makes all the wrong decisions, refuses to listen to anyone but himself, makes mistake after mistake but somehow manages to save the day in the knick of time. Sound familiar? It is a (unfortunately) a popular story line that I find the farthest thing from entertaining. I was constantly eye rolling and wishing we could just get to end where of course he'd save the day. I've never quite understood why this story line is one we want to impress upon children, but as I said before, its a popular one.

Now for the stuff that was interesting, because I am giving it three stars though I think I'm being generous. While the plot was one we've heard before, the characters and setting were completely unique. Brown imagines a world where Bigfoots exist and they are much smarter than humans (except the main character, he is a dope). They have all kinds of interesting gadgets for Aarth (rebellious Bigfoot teen) to use as he sneaks into the human world to find an important piece (rock) of the clan's cloaking mechanism. If the rock isn't recovered and put back in place the entire shield will fail, revealing Bigfoot Valley. Oh and I forgot to mention it's Aarth's fault the piece went missing and his entire clan is doomed.

The story has a lot of action and a countdown clock for added suspense. It is a quick and easy read with a happy twist at the end I didn't see coming. That was probably what I enjoyed most about the book.

For all my harping on this plot, my thirteen year old son would probably think it was great. So I'd recommend this book to 5th-8th grade boys, especially the ones that are hot messes (like my son), because I'm sure they'd see a lot of themselves it in.

[G.J. Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This engaging story is about Arrth, a young Bigfoot, and his adventures trying to put right something he feels he did wrong. This mistake happened when he lost an important cloaking device in a rock. He had flung the rock at someone threatening him. Without this device then Bigfoot Valley will be exposed to humans or skin-faces as they are known to Arrth’s community. The adult Bigfoots there consider this a potentially dangerous situation so Arrth decides it is his task to become the hero who will save them before time runs out.
The author introduces a few other new and amusing terms throughout the story apart from skin-faces, and which reflect Arrth’s innocence and ignorance about modern humanity. Things like clothing and food and transport cause him some confusion and will bring a smile to anyone reading this book, and not just the pre-teens that are the targeted readers.
Arrth’s experiences, when he becomes enrolled in a local secondary school with its strict teachers, truant officer, bullies and flirtatious girls, are hilarious. The story has a fast pace and there is a count-down reminder for each chapter. There were some idiomatic words and phrases in the book, like snarfy, snarfing and snarky for example, that readers outside of the USA would not know the meaning of, and could limit their enjoyment.
The ending is exciting and satisfying because readers cannot help but root for the seventy-seven year old Bigfoot ‘youngster’ from the beginning! This clever tale, I am sure, would also be a delight to read out to your children or grandchildren.

[Grant Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

(NB: obviously not written for this jaded audience, so take those 3 stars with a pinch of salt)

Another indie book that landed in my lap, which I read in a single lazy morning/afternoon. The story, a kind of coming-of-age tale from the perspective of a juvenile cryptozoological being (a sasquatch), moves along at a steady clip, with each chapter being no longer than 3 or 4 pages - making the book ideal for reading aloud to a small audience, I reckon. The author builds the world well within the first few chapters and deftly introduces some sasquatch lore and even some technology ('vid-cubes', for example). I think it's important to note that it never feels like you're receiving an exposition dump, and it's simple to keep track of what's going on despite the otherworldly premise. I guess the outlandish names were a little hard to get a handle on at first, but I just pretended they were bit characters from the Mos Eisley Cantina. The use of the term 'Skin-face' to describe human beings is creepy as hell. Reminded me constantly of Ed Gein, which is probably not the intention but two thumbs up for that.

I can imagine this being well received by precocious kids and maybe even non-native learners of English considering how easy it is to read. Again, as with many indie books, the cover doesn't really do this one justice considering how well it is written (although I've just looked at it on Amazon and the cover there is much cooler).

[W.R. Rosche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the disappearance of his best (and only) friend Taahmic, Arrth is the last Bigfoot cub in his clan. He is bored, frustrated, and drawn to trouble like a fly to rotting fish. His problems take a serious turn when the damage he causes during a brief, unsanctioned outing threatens the security of his whole clan.

Against all odds and every shred of common sense he never had, Arrth is determined to set things right. And maybe even find Taahmic while he’s at it. He gets a lucky break when all his hair falls out—the first stage of the process through which Bigfoot cubs become adults.

Reluctantly aided by Uulmer, a skilful techno, Arrth leaves the secure Bigfoot compound to venture into the outside world. His mission seems simple enough—all he has to do is find and retrieve a particular piece of rock. But faster than he could say ‘double worm snot,’ he is scooped up and forced to navigate the complex, scary world of a ‘skin-face’ middle school.

The plot holds more twists and turns than a sack full of snakes as Arrth races against the clock to save his beloved Bigfoot Valley. Crisp punchy writing brings the many action scenes to life, while an ample dose of mildly icky humor is sure to appeal to middle-school boys. (And at least some young-at-heart old timers.)

I strongly recommend this book for middle-school readers.

[Angela Panayotopulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into here, but this was recommended reading for a nephew and I wanted to scout it out first. I got hooked from the first AWESOME metaphor: “the valley was as exciting as watching worm snot drop off a blade of grass.” I remember thinking: ‘I think my nephew will love this book. Heck, I already do.’



Lovely worldbuilding, great characterizations, and natural dialogue. Writing that is both elegant and sometimes poetic in its simplicity while never really losing touch with its young target audience. The terminology is excellent, too – “caved for a week,” “skin-face/skin-monster,” “killing sticks,” “snarfing/snarking weirdness,” and so on. Tiniest hiccup: I’d italicize the words that characters are thinking, just for clarity.



I love the telling of this coming-of-age story from a “monster’s” perspective, and how it just turns the tables and opens the eyes, showing instead of telling us the powerful themes of tolerance, compassion, and friendship. A fun and quick read, for kids and kids at heart.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting read, even though I was frustrated with Arrth almost throughout the book.
Saving Big foot valley is about a cloaked valley full of Big foots, that have existed for thousand of years next to human dwellers unbeknownst to the human population. Like all strong headed pre-teens, Arrth, had to go where he was forbidden to go, and in so doing, he lost one the cloaking devices that had shielded his kind from the humans and almost exposed the existence of his kind. To solve this problem that he had caused, he had to go live among humans to retrieve the cloaking device he lost or his valley would be exposed and his people will have to evacuate. As expected, nothing went to plan, without giving the plot away, Arrth had to through many obstacles up to the very end. This book had my heart racing in places with each attempt he made to get the device and return home. Most of the complications he experienced were due to his own stupidity or lack of understanding of the human ways and others were just sheer bad luck. All in all, I applaud the author for her imagination and I recommend this book.

[Loralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrth is a young bigfoot with an adventurous streak. Other than doing crazy things that annoy his parents, and wondering where his friend Taahmic has disappeared to, he has a pretty normal life. That is, up until he has a chance run in with a "skin-face" one of those monsters also referred to as a human! As the story progresses and as he gets deeper into his adventure with the humans, a few questions come up, and a few questions get answered. How he discovers where his friend Taahmic went off to...well, you'd have to read the book to find that one out!

I did notice an inconsistency here and there. For example, when he first saw a human, he said that the human had a "metal stick" which he also called a "killing stick" which I recognized to be a gun. But then he proceeded to refer to the stick as a "gun", and as the noise it made as a "gun shot". Arrth is using words I understand there, but how did he personally learn those words "gun" and "gunshot" for them to be used in his mind's narrative?

Other than that, the story was a fun adventure, which I think young people especially would enjoy!

[I.M. Redwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving Bigfoot Valley narrates the story of Arrth, a bigfoot who is about to become an adult.

This is not the usual bigfoot story, in this one the Bigfoot is not a monster both feared and chased by humans. Instead, here bigfoots live in a human like society.
Two aspects to be highlighted in this story. First, the humor, Arrth is a humorous character and gets involved in lots of fun scenarios that made this a more than enjoyable read. Second, the creativeness behind this story, the society In which these bigfoots live was a great touch, despite having a resemblance to our society there are some aspects that make theirs quite unique.

This was a fast-paced read, addressed to kids that I’m 100% they will enjoy.
The only but here is the cover, I think none of them do justice to this book. One fits better for a horror story, which this is not, while the other seems to fit better but is not as good as ought to be.

[Florian Armas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Foot - hairy, ape-like creatures that dwell in the wilderness. From time to time, they leave mysterious footprints for us to find. Some even portray them as the missing link between humans and our savage ancestors. They are half or even less human. Wild. Dangerous.
Man - intelligent and ... human.
This book turns everything upside down, and everything is told in a humorous way. There is adventure, even some sort of tragedy and some interesting observations about human condition in general. This book is about Arrth, an almost centenarian young Big Foot, ready to become an adult. His transition is sped up by a half-comical, half- terrible chain of misadventures which throws him out of his calm and civilized village into the wilderness of the Skin-faces' world, their name for ... us.
An enjoyable read.

[Bibliophile Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Saving Bigfoot Valley to be an excellent book. Spike Brown wrote a great adventure that I believe centers on readers in elementary and middle school, but which can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates action and unexpected exploits. The story blends the legend of Bigfoot along with the reality of school life in a fun manner. Brown is talented at expressing the thoughts of school-age youths while developing the themes of duty to family and friends. The tone is light-hearted, but there is enough excitement placed in the work to keep it a page-turner from the first page to the last. I’m impressed by the ideas and talent within this story and can’t wait for Brown’s next work to come out.

[Alex Canna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing tale of a teenage outsider trying to fit into a confusing world where everyone him seems to know what’s going on except him. We've all been there, so what's new? Simple, Aarth is a seventy-seven-and-a-half-year-old Bigfoot adolescent who has to find the kid who stole the cloaking device that conceals his tribe's home and get it back before the world discovers Bigfoot Valley. What could go wrong?

Pretty much everything, it turns out.

The book is a rollercoaster of fun, and in true coming-of-age fashion, Aarth evolves from a awkward kid to a quick-witted save-the-day hero. Well, if things would just work out the way they need to.

There's the odd plot hole that I’m sure young readers aren’t going to quibble about, but overall it’s a great story, well done, Spike Brown!

[Mehmet Çalışkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Bigfoot Valley is a coming-of-age, adventure, and mystery novel in the young fantasy genre. The story revolves around Arrth, a curious, adventurous young Bigfoot learning to take responsibility, whose simple mistake puts his clan’s safety at risk and sets him on a heroic journey to resolve the crisis. Brown’s lively and energetic writing, along with creative expressions unique to Bigfoot culture, makes the world believable. The book effectively explores themes such as learning from mistakes, responsibility, friendship, family bonds, and overcoming prejudices. Offering a fresh perspective on the Bigfoot legend, I believe this work provides an engaging and entertaining reading experience for adventurous, humorous, and curious readers of the appropriate age group.

[Franca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting read. It is a coming of age story about Arrth , a young Bigfoot who is also quite mischievous. However; his antics soon cause a lot of problems for his clan.
I loved this story; it was to the point, with well thought out characters and a good plot. The world building was done well and left me wanting to know more about the other ‘clans’. Even the slangs were original and funny!
This is a delightful read for young adults and also for older adults like me.