The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary

by K. B. Jackson, Lorenzo Conti (Illustrator)

Overview

Twelve-year-old JAKE NELSON and his mom, a former Disney Princess, have recently moved from Orlando, Florida, to his grandfather’s home in Washington State. Shorter than the average sixth grader, Jake finds it difficult to fit in at his new school, Hawthorne Elementary, especially after making an enemy of one of the most popular boys on the very first day. Not to mention, Jake’s hobby is a little unusual: He’s a Sasquatch hunter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478879657
Publisher:	Reycraft Books
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	204
Sales rank:	671,389
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

K.B. Jackson lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. A full-time writer and part-time genealogist, she loves to craft stories with elements of history and family dynamics. She modeled the character of Jake after her youngest son, now a teenager, who has been fascinated by cryptids since kindergarten.

Editorial Reviews

2022-10-12
Moving across the country is a big change, but it may bring Jake closer to proving Sasquatch’s existence.

Since Gramps told Jake about his Sasquatch encounter, Jake has been interested in cryptids. When his single mom decides they are moving from Orlando, Florida, to Gramps’ home in Washington state, Jake realizes this will give him better access to the legendary beast. Sixth grade at Hawthorne Elementary is off to a rough start when Jake makes an enemy, but eventually his unique interest leads to him becoming friends with pretty, popular Jasmine and smart third grader Lanny. The trio form Sasquatch Hunters of Washington, Inc., and make plans to seek out stories of other encounters and find proof that Sasquatch is real. The premise takes a bait-and-switch approach and winds up being less about cryptids and more about human connections, especially when Jake makes a discovery about his absent father. It’s not entirely successful, however, as the familial drama feels too quickly and easily resolved, while the Sasquatch story is left open, presumably to be explored in future books. Jake, his family, and Jasmine are cued White; Lanny is Indian American, and there is some racial diversity among incidental characters. The characters are decently developed, but sometimes the way the race or ethnicity of characters of color is revealed is clumsy or rooted in stereotypes.

Unlike a cryptid sighting, this tale is unremarkable. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews