WADDLE I DO WITHOUT YOU?

Fairy penguins have always been safe on their island off the coast of Western Australia, but something frightening is happening.

The tale unfolds in alternating chapters, each focusing on one of the three protagonists. Twelve-year-old homeschooled Addie lives by the beach with her overprotective widower dad and beloved dog, Max. Imaginative and sometimes lonely, she can be impulsive and daring, especially if her beloved sea creatures are at risk. Fortunately, Addie finds like-minded friends and mentors through her youth environmental group. Max follows Addie closely, bringing his own special canine abilities and insights and overcoming his fears to help protect the penguins they befriend. Then there is tiny penguin Darwin, a misfit and loner who’s the first to recognize the escalating dangers to his colony; though he has difficulty communicating his concerns to the other penguins, he’s determined to find a solution. Climate change is contributing to the ability of predator foxes to reach the island via a path newly opened by extreme low tides, putting the vulnerable fairy penguins in peril. Each chapter overlaps just a bit, with clues and epiphanies that move the action forward slowly at first, later building to a rapid, heart-stopping crescendo. Aided by Addie’s TikTok videos, an international community of viewers, and a strategy generated by Addie, Max, and Darwin, the colony is saved—at least for now. Despite being of different species, the protagonists are devoted to each other, and their cause will capture readers’ hearts.

Complex, timely, and deeply moving.