Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will be released April 27, 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group.

The hair-raising rescue of two beaver kits grabs readers in the first few pages of this novel. The tension eases off, but the fascination with these little critters never ends. 

In the small town of Willow Grove, beavers have been building dams and flooding agricultural land. The farmers are not happy. 

When twelve year old Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, discover two dead adult beavers, they know they have to rescue their babies. They also have to find out who murdered them. The trajectory of this novel follows these two arcs. 

Madi's grandmother was an "animal whisperer" and wildlife rehabilitator, someone who rescues wild animals and returns them to the wild. Madi learned much from her and brings the two kits home with her, even though she has been warned not to bring home any more animals. She has to keep them a secret from her older sister and her parents. If she's caught she won't be able to go meet Jane Goodall, her personal hero. 

While Madi's focus is on keeping the beavers safe in their clubhouse, the boys are more focused on discovering who is responsible for the deaths of the beavers. As the deaths pile up and they find another kit, their goals become more urgent. 

Madi is able to keep her secret because her parents are often away from home working. Her older sister, Marley is more interested in boys than hanging out with her little sister any more. Marley plans to have a party when her parents are away. When she discovers the kits, the two sisters make a pact to keep each other's secrets. 

There is a lot to love about this book. While the two sisters seem to be growing apart, Marley is involved in Madi's life and her problems than is at first obvious. Madi and her friends live in an idyllic place. They get to spend their summers boating on a lake and exploring wild spaces on their own. Looking after the beaver kits involves a lot of research. This means that readers learn a lot while reading this engaging tale. 

Madi, Aaron, and Jack are delightful characters with their own interests and backgrounds. I am hoping that this is the first in a series and that we will get to know more about the boys in future novels.