The Popper Penguin Rescue

Mr. Popper's Penguins #2

by Eliot Schrefer

From two-time National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer comes an original penguin-tastic adventure inspired by the beloved classic Mr. Popper's Penguins.

It's been years and years since the Popper family lived in Stillwater, but the town is still riding high on its former penguin residents. Across the river, in Hillport, residents try to re-create the magic with penguin carnival rides and penguin petting zoos, pretending they're the Popper originals. As the years have gone by, fewer and fewer people have come, and the small attractions shuttered.

Nina and Joe Popper have just moved to Hillport with their mother. There's a lot to do: unpacking, scrubbing the floors, investigating the basement-wait, what's this? Two penguin eggs are tucked snugly near the furnace!

It's up to Nina and Joe to find their newly hatched penguin chicks a home. Setting off on the adventure of a lifetime, they endure perilous storms, a long journey to the Arctic, and of course, penguins. Lots and lots of Popper penguins!

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Animals, Young Adult

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2020

About the author

ELIOT SCHREFER is a New York Times-bestselling author, and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” He is also the author of two novels for adults and four other novels for children and young adults. His books have been named to the NPR “best of the year” list, the ALA best fiction list for young adults, and the Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best.” His work has also been selected to the Amelia Bloomer List, recognizing best feminist books for young readers, and he has been a finalist for the Walden Award and won the Green Earth Book Award and Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in New York City, where he reviews books for USAToday.



Also: I love marshmallows and early twentieth century fiction. And apes.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kids loved it, but it left me wanting more. This modern take left behind many of the gender stereotypes and problematic language of the first one, but it was the plot moved too quickly that it was hard to settle into the adventure. That said, my kids are both hoping there's a future book coming so they can find out what happens to Ernest and Mae.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not great. I read this book with my kids because we were studying penguins at the time.

We read Mr. Popper's Penguins and thought we would move right into reading this one. It looked fun, and it's always cool when stories continue. But it was drastically different, and not in an enjoyable way. Mr. Popper's Penguins is quirky, fun, and wholesome. The humor comes from unexpected situations and goofiness. You can easily suspend your disbelief to enjoy the story thoroughly. But Popper Penguin Rescue misses the mark in all those areas.

The story is about two kids and their mom (never any real mention of the dad) who move into a house that used to house a penguin show of some sort. They find two penguin eggs in the basement and decide they want to try to hatch them. My primary issue with this book is what happens next. They decide they don't want to "overwhelm" their mother by telling her about the eggs, so they keep lying to her about what they are doing, sneaking things past her, etc. They basically have no respect for her and think she's dumb and overwrought enough that she won't notice. They take the eggs to school, where they somehow hatch in approximately two minutes right at the same time, with one of them actually getting dropped on the ground. Then they STILL don't come clean but lie AGAIN to their teachers saying they are sick and need to go home. (I almost stopped reading at this point. This is not behavior I think anyone should want to encourage in children.)
Long story short, their mother does find out about the penguins eventually, which was inevitable of course. But she spends about ten seconds starting to get upset and maybe discipline then but then starts talking about how "cute" the penguins are and that's that. No consequences, no lesson about how they shouldn't lie.

Then the book just gets completely unbelievable. They go to the Popper Penguin Foundation, to get the penguins where they belong (which happens to be in the Arctic where the other Popper penguins are currently) where the representative tells them he hasn't heard from the scientists in the Arctic for a while so WHY DON'T THEY JUST TAKE THEM! Yes, two children and their mom with one Inuit fisherman. Then they go to the Arctic and have their inevitable wreck, run out of fuel, etc. In the end they decide, as the experienced scientists they are, to return the WHOLE colony to Antarctica. So they do, and that's basically it, except somehow the penguins, upon returning to Antarctica, know how to do the entire original Popper Penguin act.

Overall, one of my least favorite books. Parents, I'd definitely recommend avoiding this book of at the vet least reading it aloud so you can make sure to point out the things like lying.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love the original Popper's Penguins book so we were excited to read this new take on an old classic. I read it with my 4th and 7th grader and we were all pretty into the story for about 85% of the book. But we had to agree that the ending just wasn't very satisfactory. Cute, sweet, but didn't quite live up to the original.

[Allison Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel and Nina Popper move to Hillport to a home called Penguin Pavilion. Years after the Popper Penguins left Stillwater, the surrounding area tried to profit from the success and fame of the Popper penguins by having penguin festivals, parades, petting zoo.

Joel and Nina discover two forgotten penguin eggs in the basement and so begins a fantastic journey.

I recently read Mr. Popper's Penguins to my 5 year old son and we immediately checked out this one to follow. This book was good and it's fun to imagine what it would be like to hatch penguin eggs and care for them. I thought this book was not as great as Mr. Popper's Penguins and in a few places it was hard to keep my 5 year old's interest. But we liked the way this ended and that this book talks about the importance of ecosystems and caring for animals. I definitely recommend this book to kids who like animals and adventure.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Mr. Popper's Penguins since I was a kid, but I remember loving it. So, I was intrigued by Schrefer's modern sequel to the story. Whether this will be a classic is hard to say. Although the premise is original, it felt like a movie turned into a book, lots of improbable action but not a lot of depth. This isn't bad. It just doesn't necessarily have the ingredients of a classic. Still, middle grade readers who liked the first book will want to read this, and those who haven't read Atwater's classic will enjoy this introduction to the famous Popper penguins. Recommended.
Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.

[Diane Yliniemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The publisher asked this author to write a follow up book and he nailed it! The penguins are well taken care of when two kids find penguin eggs and make sure they hatch! Mom intervenes to help them find a good home for the penguins. This book is funny and heartwarming.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would its not exact but has its own timeless wonder feel (the penguins are soooo cute) while still respecting the original's spirit + wonder but also "modern updating" on aspects of the original story like dealing with the "penguins in the Arctic" thing.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! What a great spinoff book to one of my favorite classic books! I love penguins! What a well written book! Highly recommended!

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a person for whom Mr. Popper's Penguins was an absolute childhood favorite that I read repeatedly (and still do, for comfort), I had to read this modern-day sequel to it when I found copy for 2 dollars.

I appreciate the author's efforts, but it just lacks the charm and whimsy that made the original story such fun to read. The language feels stodgy and it doesn't hearken back to the original much, in content or feel. A good college try and an interesting premise, but lacking distinctly in charm.

Also, the author writes that Popper's penguins were gentoos. They absolutely were NOT. They had little white rings around their eyes, which definitively made them Adélie. The fact that they couldn't even keep this fact straight made me quite irritated.

[Karen Troutman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am officially a fan of the original version set in Stillwater. I have read it so often to my students I think I can quote it verbatim sometimes. This being said...
This is a good book. Today's students will enjoy it. It doesn't have much depth but it is a fun read.
The colorful cover will draw their attention and there are some fine black and white illustrations within. It is an easy chapter book read, which will go well with students just beginning chapter books.

I wanted more from this book, but I think kids will like it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice job of paying homage to the first book and writing a really good story. I liked how the penguins became part of the family. I loved the introduction of the character of Yuka who is Inuit and a researcher. The science of where the penguins really belong...Antarctica, not the Artic, would be a fabulous science lesson jumping off from this book. Similarly, learning about puffins and the loss of their food source (due to competition) would make another wonderful parallel lesson.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun continuation to the original story.
Nina and Joe Popper come from a long line of Poppers. When they move to an old house in a new town, they find two penguin eggs in the basement. It is up to them to find a home for these penguins. This starts an adventure with an outcome neither of them could have predicted.

DRC from Edelweiss and Hachette Book group

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kids loved Mr Popper's Penguins and immediately asked if there were more to the series, so I was excited to find this book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it very much. I found it much harder to keep the kid's attention as well. There were also several problems with spelling or grammar in the book too.

[Helen Halbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I just finished reading the first book so I started on this one. At first when that boy is chasing Joel and the egg cracks it feels like Ernest isn't ready to hatch. I would say May and Ernest need to fit in with the other penguins in the book. It's scary a bit when the storm comes. but when the penguins come in it sounds fun.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The charm of the first book is that it was a bit ridiculous but also kinda ok because it was written so long ago and it's not what would happen now. This book, set in current day, doesn't have that. We can't look at it and think "oh that's so cute/weird you think you can keep a penguin in your house". Also, that tiny boat for 6 weeks across the ocean?!?!?!? Seriously.

[Amie Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nightly read with the boys that hasn’t been so regular as we take turns reading different books. Sadly this sequel wasn’t nearly as good as Mr. Popper’s Penguins. However, The Popper Penguin Rescue was slightly entertaining and educational as well.

[Patti gh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penguins, what more need I say?

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute modern twist on a classic favourite.

[Jenni Moeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Mr Poppers Penguins although it’s written by a different author. My kids loved it almost as much as the first book.

[Joyfully Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was okay. The orignal was better. Although it was nice to see how the popper penguin story followed, I don't think I'll read this again.

[Jenny Morrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Emma Grace Blumer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really comparable to the original, honestly. My kids enjoyed it well enough, though.

[Susan Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun continuation of Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

[Ashlea Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The kids keep the penguins a secret from their mom for as long as possible instead of involving her right away. Improved once the family started the actual adventure.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's Chapter Books

Sequel to Mr. Popper's Penguins


Featuring two siblings who end up with two penguin eggs.

[Amy Torcaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast easy read. Had nothing to really do with the original Poppers Penguins storyline. Cute anyway

[liso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both kids liked this all right but it wasn’t a huge favorite. It was a little slow and didn’t really pull us in.

[Allison G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

[Jasraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best