Maggie's struggle with her stutter was brought to a realistic, sensitive conclusion. This book made my animal-lover heart happy. The chapters alternate between Maggie and Rumpus's point of view, and Rumpus's chapters brought both comic levity and shone a spotlight on the bond between an animal and those who care for them. When he gets caught in a trap, Maggie gets him out and bandages his paw, but no one believes her about Rumpus until it's almost too late. Meanwhile, a wealthy family purchases a snow leopard as a gift, but quickly regrets it, releasing the half-tame Rumpus into the wild in Cornwall. Instead, her mother sends her to spend some time with her long-lost grandfather, Fred, a quirky doctor and wanna-be inventor who lives in a small town in Cornwall. Maggie's ashamed of her stutter, and her father's thinking of sending her off to a special school, much to both Maggie and her mother's horror. This charming, sweet, sensitive middle grade book is perfect for animal lovers of all ages. I loved this book! This definitely is an author to watch. I loved Maggie's grandfather and how patient and loving he is with her. I loved that nature plays such a central role here. I loved watching Maggie grow into her own. The important part is that Maggie finds him and the two share a special bond. How he ended up in the forest is better left to the reader to find out for themselves. It is in this forest that Maggie spots a snow leopard.
While in Cornwall, Maggie takes long walks in Wildoak - the forest that abuts her grandfather's property.
When Maggie injures herself to avoid reading in class, her mother decides Maggie should go stay with her maternal grandfather in Cornwall. Her stutter disappears when she is speaking to her many animal friends (this is important to the plot). Maggie always finds it easier to speak to animals. Maggie has a stutter that has required her parents to move her from one school to another. The story centers on Maggie - a young girl growing up in England in 1963. This is a debut book whose cover I fell in love with and so decided I needed to read it ASAP.
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