A story about learning to forge connections with others (human or otherwise) morphs into a wilderness survival tale when orphaned fifth-grader Allen, having moved to his gramma’s country town, rescues an old llama slated to be slaughtered for a local restaurant. Thomas shovels in themes, issues, and plotlines—baseball, alopecia, making new friends, animal abuse, life-changing encounters with nature, recurrent nightmares linked to suppressed memories, coping with serious injuries both physical and emotional. But it’s the vividly rendered cast that’s most likely to stick with readers as Allen becomes the target of a brutal bully and his savage, gun-wielding dad, while also getting immediate and unexpectedly warm welcomes from two particular classmates and from Max, an airily cerebral high-school senior who volunteers to mentor her new “young Jedi.” Not to mention the llama, who, along with being surprisingly communicative, repeatedly saves his life. If the justice meted out to the bullies seems rough (though perhaps well deserved), the author does point Allen and his supporters toward brighter, happier futures at the end.
—Booklist
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