Bractwo Zagrożonych

The Endangereds #1

by Philippe Cousteau, Dorota Stadnik (Translator)

Już czas, aby zwierzęta wzięły swój los we własne łapy!
Zwierzęta na Ziemi mają nie lada problem: temperatura rośnie, poziom wód się podnosi, na świecie jest coraz mniej pokarmu. Trzeba ratować istoty walczące o przetrwanie i zapobiec globalnej katastrofie.
To zadanie w sam raz dla Bractwa Zagrożonych. Supersilny niedźwiedź polarny, łuskowiec obdarzony talentem technicznym, wyjątkowo sarkastyczny narwal i orangutan marzyciel postanawiają ocalić zagrożone gatunki na Ziemi.
Zjazd na linie do jaskini? Zapętlenie obrazu wideo? Przekręcenie gałki w drzwiach, gdy nie ma się kciuków? Dla Bractwa nie ma rzeczy niemożliwych! Ale czy przyjaciele poradzą sobie także, gdy dwoje z nich zostanie porwanych przez złoczyńcę, który chce umieścić ludzi i zwierzęta na liście wymarłych gatunków?
Autorami tej emocjonującej i pełnej zwrotów akcji powieści są Philippe Cousteau, światowej sławy ekolog, gospodarz programu telewizyjnego Xploration Awesome Planet oraz Austin Aslan, autor książek z serii „TURBO Racers”.

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

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Captain Jacques Cousteau, is a correspondent and spokesperson for Discovery Education and the Animal Planet and Planet Green channels. He is founder and CEO of EarthEcho International, whose mission is to foster extraordinary leaders to take action to restore and protect our oceans.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endangereds is an interesting story that I see appealing to children who are interested in environmental activism and animal science. While Endangereds is designed as an action/adventure story, it does encourage children to think about climate change, the impact that humans are having on animals, and the ever changing ecosystems of animals today. Part of the storyline even explains the benefits and difficulties faced with trying to reintroduce a species back into their natural habitat. As your reading the story, the authors introduce the various habitats of each of the characters, from the climate to the vegetation. I liked having the point of views shift between the various animals, although Nuk is probably still my favorite. There's even some pretty cool gadgets, special headsets, computers, programming/coding and even an airplane rescue mission to keep things interesting. Plus one surprise villainous character that I don't think we've seen the last of in this series.

At the back of the book the authors include facts on each of the endangered animals from the story, what you can do to help, and even information on organizations like the World Wildlife Federation and Earthecho International. The story never gets bogged down in the details of the various animals, but does encourage further thought and exploration on the topics of environmental activism. I was especially struck with just how difficult a task animal conservation is and while there are valiant efforts being made to keep animals safe from predators, the animals are still being kept in a form of captivity which can lead to the animals loosing their natural hunt and survival instincts. The story has the impactful message that even one small change can influence the balance of nature. ** Thank you Sparkpress for the review copy**

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the grandson of Jacques Cousteau, The Endangereds is the first book in a new series for middle grade readers. At the center of this stories are a handful of endangered animals living at a facility on the Galapagos Islands. These animals have become hyper intelligent and gained the ability to speak, use tools and more. They have set a mission for themselves to help out any endangered animals who may need them. The novel alternated between the perspectives of the various animals, which gave the reader a chance to get to know them better.

This was a fun, adventurous read which was perfectly timed with my 5th grader learning about the animal kingdom and the food web.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ENDANGEREDS is a hidden gem on the middle-grade fiction shelves. This is the high-energy story of a misfit band of unlikely heroes: Arief, the wise orangutan leader; Wangari, a pangolin with the skills of a ninja; Murdoch, a nerdy narwhal who has mastered human technology; and Nukilik, a bossy young polar bear with a lot of growing up to do.

In the not-too-distant future, they live in a special enclosed biome that replicates each’s natural habitat, cared for by a team of humans and robots. However, they realize that there are many other animals all over the world who need their help and special skills—thus the Endangereds are born!

This story will keep pages turning and young minds engaged with its nonstop action and wacky sense of humor that fits with the age group’s sensibilities. The quips and silliness keep things from getting too overwhelming, even when characters are facing peril. There are also facts about wildlife and geography sprinkled throughout that incorporate learning without detracting from the story.

THE ENDANGEREDS is a genuinely well-written book that will appeal to the young and young-at-heart, and it’s fun with an intelligent and empathetic sensibility. A section at the book’s conclusion offers facts about each animal species featured in the story, and what each needs to survive and thrive in their natural habitats.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy is not my favorite genre so I seldom read it. But let me quickly add, I would have missed out on one great story had I not opened this book. So what changed my mind about this fantasy? Maybe a well-written story, a good plot, and fun characters?

That being said, who are The Endangereds and what do they do? The Endangereds are heroes: a superstrong polar bear, a pangolin with a genius for engineering, an extremely sarcastic narwhal, and an orangutan with a big dream. Their motto is to help wildlife across the globe. Especially any species threatened or endangered.

When Nukilik, a polar bear, loses sight of her mother and is captured and taken to the Ark, a facility used to protect the planet’s most endangered species, all she can think about is being reunited with her mother.

She continually turns down the other endangered animals’ requests to join their team, but when an emergency comes up, she rethinks her stance.

As I mentioned earlier, I was completely taken off guard with this book. Especially since it’s both a story for a younger audience and a fantasy. But I thoroughly enjoyed it! The animals each have such unique personalities. And though some of the humor is apt to miss its mark with a younger audience, it won’t be missed by others.

While the humor in some books feels manufactured and doesn’t actually fit, I felt every bit of the humor in this story agreed with the various personalities or was used to create a fun visual.

This is a fun adventure and a set of characters that are hard not to fall in love with.

My Concerns
For a little while, I had trouble remembering what name went with what animal. I kept wishing there was a picture, name, and information about the main endangered animals. But the authors took care of that. I just hadn't discovered it yet, since it's all at the back of the book.

What I Liked
I have to be honest, before I ever started reading I wondered if the story might feel a bit aggressive in pushing a program or agenda. Nope. Not to me. And I had actually been expecting it.

At the back of the book animals in the story are listed. Included in each listing you will find:

Name of the Animal in the Story
Common Name
Scientific Name
Habitat
Weight
Height
Conservation Status
Population in the Wild
Learn More
What Can You Do To Help

I would readily suggest this book for the classroom, home, gift-giving…okay, you get it! This non-fantasy reader thought authors Cousteau and Aslan did a great job. Even though there are only about four illustrations included, they are exceptionally well done.

Many young readers will be delighted to discover that this is the first book in a new series. In fact, one older lady who isn't a major fan of fantasy was also caught doing a little happy dance. Discretely, of course.

My thanks to Book Sparks, Harper Collins, and the authors for a copy of this book. My opinion of this book was not influenced by this generosity. In fact, I was not obligated to post a review at all.

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[Candy_ Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pueden leer la reseña en español en:

https://www.unlibrounmundo.com/2024/0...

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Overall Rating: 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 (5/5)
Character development: ☀️☀️☀️☀️ (4/5)
Climax: 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃(5/5)
Adventure: 🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️ (5/5)

Alright, let me tell you that I really enjoyed this book, although it was written for a young audience. While I have quite enjoyed my fair share of middle grade books, they're not usually what I look for; in fact, I was looking for some fantasy book that would catch my interest with its blurb when I stumbled upon The Endangereds. As a huge animal lover and lover of all things related to the wild, the cover immediately caught my eye. And when I read the blurb, I thought, Well, I haven't found anything else; besides, this looks funny and interesting, and it was!!!

The book follows the story of Nukilik, a young polar bear that was separated from her mother in the Arctic and brought to the Ark, a safe compound created for endangered species, and the events that led her to be part of The Endangereds' team. The story is told in close third-person POV from the perspective of the different animals in the team, but mostly from Nukilik, Arief the orangutan, and Wangari the pangolin.

Although it is primarily a book for 8-12 year olds, I was pleasantly surprised by the strong personalities of the characters and how consistent and well-defined they were throughout the book. Murdock was very funny, and Nukilik's personality shows very well the bravery, impulsiveness, and willingness to take on the world that children and teens often have. Furthermore, Philippe and Austin managed to create a nice developmental arc for our fierce polar bear. However, it would have been nice if Arief and Wangari also had had a stronger arc, instead of staying pretty much the same, and that's why my character development score is 4 out of 5.

Another thing that I enjoyed were these little facts about different animals that were taught through the dialog, although I have to admit that in some parts it felt like a biology class due to how often they were thrown at us, but that feeling wasn't often or too strong, at least not for me.

The climax was well developed and consistent with the pace and tone of the rest of the book. Yes, it wasn't one of those were you can't stop reading beacuse if you do you get that feeling that something is missing and you have to know what happens next in order to be able to move on with your life, but it was good, interesting, action-packed and the perfect closure for this story.

Lastly, I have to mention the most important thing that made me rate this a 5-star book, a and that is Philippe and Austin's ability to immerse me in the story with their descriptions, the length of the sentences and the natural rhythm of their words. I am a very picky reader, so for a story to be able to give me that movie-like experience without taking me out of it at any point for any reason, it deserves that fifth star and a perfect score.

I will definitely read the second book.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 3 out of 5]

@Kidlitexchange

Thank you to @harperkids for sharing an advance copy of The Endangereds by @pcousteau and Austin Aslan with the #kidlitexchange network. This middle grade novel was published in September 2020. All opinions are my own.

Animals all over the world are in danger as their habitats are being destroyed and their populations dwindle. The Endangereds, a group of animals who have been taken by scientists to a research and conservation lab called the Ark, plan to help. Some of these animals have gone hyper and developed increased, human-like, intelligence. With their hyper-intelligence, they plan missions and travel the world to help other animals in need. When two of their own are in danger, there is no doubt that the other Endangered will come to their rescue. What they find during the mission though takes them by surprise.

The Endangereds is a super-fun middle grade novel. It is full of adventure, danger, and knowledge. Cousteau and Aslan do an excellent job of introducing species loss, climate change, habitat destruction, conservation and so much more in a way that is both engaging and understandable. Facts about different animals and scientific topics are dropped throughout the novel. I really enjoyed the different animals featured in the book which include: an orangutan, narwhal, polar bear, quokka, and pangolin. The messages in this book are super important. One of the primary messages is that you are capable of making a change and that even a small change can make a difference. I the book to be a fairly quick read and liked that it alternated between the different animals/characters' perspectives.

[Gene Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

uch as a narwhal, an orangutan, black-forest ferrets, and long tailed pangolins, which was an animal I don’t think I’d ever heard of. It starts out with the animals meeting, and how they’re being held somewhere, more realistic, like a zoo, but not for public. Later the polar bear finds out that the animals have their own agency type place, and it’s to help save endangered animals. What I liked and didn’t like at the same time, was each character got their own chapter, so you could keep track of who was talking. What I didn’t like, was that when a character was done talking, and later came back, the story continued where it left off, which, if you’re someone like me, that has memory problems, can be frustrating. Quite a few times throughout the book, when a character came back, I would have to look back towards the end of the last chapter they were in, to see what’d happened, then I would be able to connect the two. In the end, I’d probably give this book a 7 out of 10. I’d definitely recommend it to kids who like animals, kids that are interested in animals that are endangered, and want to learn a tad more about them (there are some brief facts hidden throughout the book, and then some facts at the end). Also kids that like any of the animals that I’d mentioned earlier.

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book. Very, very definitely written for younger readers, but it's obvious a lot of thought went into this. It's a little bit of a cheat, as this is not the origin story you're expecting -- except for introducing us to Nukilik the polar bear. Minor Spoiler: When she first meets the rest of the cast, the Endangereds are already up and running. They even have their own globe-trotting jet plane at the ready! Funny thing is, this reads less like a story and more like a treatment for a new Saturday-morning-style animated TV series. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is snappy and funny, and there are LOTS of reference jokes coming at you. Actually, I hope someone IS working on a TV series treatment of this. It would make for a good one.

[Jennifer]

I received an eARC courtesy of NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books in exchange for my honest review.

While detailed and interesting, the text of this book is far too dense for the average child to get through. Even for me this is just too much to captivate and retain my attention. I very much worry that most children will not make it far enough into this book to get to any of the action.

For libraries: Purchase where you have avid readers looking for books on environmental causes. This book is going to take a patient reader.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun, cute youths book that explores the idea of animal and environmental conservation. Using a fun narrative from the viewpoint of endangered animals that decide to take preservation of species into their own hands. This elite endangered task force has one mission, to help other endangered species survive. But what happens when one of their friends goes missing, and is in trouble. This team of mammals stops at no limits to make sure that their friends are safe and bring balance to the ecosystem.

[Sally Buckland]

This book is recommended for 8-12 yrs and so being a topic of interest to our family, we gave it to our 8 yr old for Xmas. While I loved the concept the opening chapter was too intense for that age group and my son (who is strong, experienced reader) was way too distressed to continue. Reading ahead myself it seems there is too much intensity to get through before the action so we are going to wait until he’s older.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

New cli-fi (climate science fiction!) from the grandson of Jacques Cousteau. A little clunky and not my favorite genre, but kids who love animals and fantasy in combination will certainly like this adventure book about endangered species who are also superheroes. Thanks to kidlitexchange for the free copy. Out 9/29

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun, action-packed book with an orangutan, pangolin, polar bear, and narwhal as the main characters.
These endangered species have all found themselves at the Ark, a state-of-the-art facility that is supposed to protect them. But since coming to the Ark, several of the animals have developed human intelligence, and they’re using it to help other endangered animals in the wild!

[Mamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lively and well paced, the writing will hold the attention of middle school and mature older elementary readers. As is true in nature, some of the events are intense and painful to accept so I would not read to or give this to younger children. Cousteau is doing his family's environmental legacy proud by writing on behalf of the balance of nature.

[Brittany Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

An action-packed book featuring a unique mix of well- and lesser-known endangered species. (Most people know that polar bears and the Great Apes are in trouble, but how much do you know about endangered African pangolins?) Spycraft meets climate activism!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! Great characters, funny, and of course educational - but not awkwardly so. Actually didn't see the plot-twist coming. Can't wait to share this with my niece and hopefully read the next one together!

[Teddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I agree with the sentiment, I didn't really feel like being preached at quite this much. It was also WAY to juvenile for my tastes. I'll admit that I didn't get very far into it, but life is just too short to waste time on books I am not enjoying at all.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was such a fun read!

Really enjoyed it.

[Nerfblaster73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is really good i like it

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting, engaging adventure featuring a polar bear, pangolin, narwhal and orangutan. Addresses environmental issues from the viewpoint of endangered animals. You will be rooting for them!

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Especially loved information at the back. Might be included must read for children worldwide re: climate change. But prolly for a bit older child owing to violence...

[Sarah Anderson-Pagal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSparks for sending me a copy to read! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but it was a great story. It is definitely a series I will collect for my daughter to read when she is older.

I love how it teaches older kids about nature conservancy, endangered animals, climate changes, and the way everything works together on nature to find balance.

[Eric Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through a drawing at Goodreads. I was eager to check it out. I had been hearing quite a bit about this book. I was not disappointed.

It was a fun, quick read and I have no doubt that any child who loves animals will really like this book. It has an A-Team feel (and adults will catch some other references to pop culture movies hidden within). There were great facts sprinkled throughout without being burdensome to the plot. Also, it has a really good message.

I look forward to future Endangered novels! Now to hand it over to my daughter, who has been anxiously awaiting a copy.

[William Jonckowski]

Not a bad read given that the author's goal for writing the book was to get younger readers in helping animals, I just don't think older folk need to check it out.