The Wide Awake Loons

By: Katherine L. Holmes

Narrated by: Aven Shore

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Ten-year-old Ginny and her mother are opening the cabin. On an otherwise quiet day, Ginny hears a male loon, Yudel, sparring with a younger bird over territory. Canoeing with her friend Wes, Ginny discovers a loon nest on an island. They quickly find themselves protecting the defenseless eggs against predators.

During the summer, the loons raise three loonlings. Now faced with many dangers, Yudel and his mate, Owala, will put their courage to the test.

Follow the journey of Ginny and the loons as their stories unite....

The Wide Awake Loons placed as finalist in the children's/juvenile fiction category of the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Reviews:

"Holmes, who lives in Duluth, tells a story that will resonate with every youngster who has been startled by a loon's 'song.' And she does it in the kind of lovely prose kids should be exposed to from the day they are born." (Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press)

"Incredible authentic details about life and survival habits and skills of the loons are woven into this engrossing nature story.... Prize winning author Holmes paints a Northern setting with vast skill and delicacy for the reading and educational pleasure and appreciation of middle grade and older readers." (The Midwest Review, Children's Bookwatch)

"When I began reading Wide Awake Loons, I immediately recalled my own childhood in northern Minnesota. The loons have a call like no other, and Ms. Holmes did a wonderful job of capturing their ethereal beauty and charm.... Ms. Holmes writes beautifully; her prose was both stunning and clever, and she shared the loons' story very convincingly." (Bobbie Grob for Readers' Favorite)

©2013 Katherine L. Holmes (P)2018 Katherine L. Holmes

Wonderful!

Lovely and authentic. Brings a summer lake to vivid life.

Very funny dialogue, and poignant story. Loved the animal characters!

A wonderful story!

This had my grandson and me captivated for the whole story. We wanted to know what happened next to the loons!

4/5 stars

Summary:
The story revolves around a lake. Part of the time, we observe the daily kid-adventures of Wes and Ginny who spend the summer canoeing. The other part, we see the lives of the loon family of Owala and Yudal and their chicks.

Additional Comments:
• I’m used to a very different type of book, but this one was okay as a change of pace.
• Much of the story felt like it lacked a conflict, but that got sorted by the end.
• Would probably mean more if you lived near a lake or got to visit a summer house near a lake.
• Seems high on details about the inner workings of loon lives, so I guess it could be considered educational too.
• The performance worked well.
• Not really feeling the cover or the title. I get that it’s about loons, but if I just saw the cover, I’d think “boring nature thingy” not fiction anything. Yes, I’m judging the book based on cover. People do it all the time. You see shirtless dude, you think trashy romance. You see photo of an actual loon, the brain says book equivalent of a nature documentary. The title sounds documentary-esque too.

Conclusion:
Kid-safe story. The awkward tagline sort of spells things out. (It’s about a girl, a loon family, and their lives
which revolve around the lake.)
*Got a free copy of the audiobook. I have chosen to leave a review. All thoughts are my own.

enjoyable

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. I totally enjoyed reading this book. It’s well written and the characters were fantastic. I would suggest this book to my friends that like this sort of genera. this was a good book.

Stunning and Beautiful

Well done Katherine L. Holmes. Love this adorable little story. While it is aimed at a younger audience, it can be enjoyed by all ages. The story is well crafted an reminded me of my own childhood, growing up in a small agricultural town in the wheat -belt of western Australia, where the Avon River was, and still is to this day, woven into my memories and dreams. Endless Summer days were filled with swimming, paddling Home made canoes, an sharing the water with ducks, swans, and plenty of other birds and wildlife. Aven Shore's narrating was beautifully done, and was made even more so, by the song of the Loons that have been edited into the story from time to time. This made a great story even better. My only hope is that you dear listener enjoy this as much as I did. Many thanks to Katherine L. Holmes, Aven Shore, and to everyone else who made this a truly memorable experience