Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Wolf (The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep) blends swashbuckling mystery with ecological disaster in an epic novel about one family's 100-year-old connection with Lake Peigneur, in the Louisiana wetlands. A first-person prologue is narrated by the lake itself; subsequent chapters recount the history of the lake, including the arrival of pirates in 1820, the treasure they buried, and the riddles they left behind. Alternating sections follow 12-year-old Junius Leak in 1980. Spending the summer away from his arguing parents back in Atlanta with his uncle Spot, whom he hadn't previously met, on Spot's houseboat in Delcambre, La., Junius--a highly sensitive person--struggles to manage his fear of water. It becomes more pronounced throughout his stay, aggravating his anxiety and increasing the frequency of his spontaneous vocalizations. Nevertheless, he finds solace in bonding with Uncle Spot and the townsfolk. As Junius wonders why his mother kept him away from Delcambre, he learns of the centuries-old history of drilling and mining in Lake Peigneur, which resurfaces to catastrophic results. Weighty topics such as grief and mental health are empathetically tackled by Wolf, who deploys captivating prose to spin a clever and engrossing adventure. Characters' tender interactions and riveting backstories--enriched with Cajun cultural detail--add texture. Ages 10--14. (July)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Twelve-year-old Junius, who is white, has had a rough go of it lately, from the unfortunate chocolate milk incident to his parents needing to work things out. The butterflies in his stomach are chaotic as his (step) dad drops him in small-town Louisiana with family for a few days, where his mom Junius (June) Leak grew up. The long line of Junius Leaks presents a parallel to the oft-untold pirate stories of Louisiana's shores throughout this shifting-time-line tale. Though this middle grade novel is on the longer side, the back-and-forth nature of historical events in this small Louisiana town pairs nicely with the 1980s setting. The narrator, a lake, provides a unique point of view as it has seen all the changes to the people and the town in the last 100 years, but the focus lies within the most current Junius Leak. A coming-of-teen arc allows Junius to find ways to exist with his anxiety, uncover some of his history, and step into teenhood in a healed state. The subtle representation of neurodivergence and invisible health conditions is well woven into quite a few characters and will provide a mirror to many. This swashbuckling story across time will pull readers in like a vortex. VERDICT Short list this title for middle grade library collections and recommend to readers, reluctant or not, with an interest in pirates, history, bodies of water, or atypical family structures.--Samantha Hull
Booklist Review
Based on an actual 1980 event, Wolf's latest weaves a dazzling tale out of environmental themes, historical backstories in a Louisiana community, buried pirate treasure, and a neurodivergent 12-year-old's vertiginously life-changing stay with a loving but unfamiliar relative. Junius arrives aboard his uncle Spot's houseboat on the shores of Lake Peigneur with a handle--mostly--on his emotional meltdowns but not his fear of being on water. Over the next dozen days, he works on both while meeting a colorfully engaging cast of local residents, experiencing the pleasures of their weekly fais-dodo, learning shocking facts about his family that his reticent mother never shared, and forming new friendships--notably, with teen eco-activist Victoria, who is protesting the oil well being drilled in the lake. Junius shares narrative duties with the lake itself, which, as a tongue-in-cheek alternate ("I am a lake, so let me be clear") slips in historical flashbacks, including a surreptitious 1820 visit by pirate Jean Lafitte; and which, at what becomes a breathlessly suspenseful climax, describes how the oil drillers hit a tunnel in a huge nineteenth-century salt mine--and turned the whole lake into a colossal drain, then a sinkhole that led to a massive flood. Considering the vividly depicted events, the strong cast, and the young protagonist's personal triumphs, there's wow-worthy content aplenty here.
Horn Book Review
Junius Leak, nearly thirteen, is "exiled to a strange, watery land" in Louisiana. He's a timid and anxious boy, afraid of yet fascinated by what he calls "waterbodies" and reluctant to spend twelve days on a houseboat on Lake Peigneur with Uncle Spot, whom he has never met, while his parents "figure things out" at a "marriage boot camp." Based on an astounding true story of a day in 1980 when Lake Peigneur disappeared, the tale is told from the alternating viewpoints of Junius and the lake. The twin narratives converge at the mining disaster scene, though it takes four-hundred-plus pages to get to the chapter titled "And Now, What We've All Been Waiting For." It is worth the wait, as events are relayed with all the liveliness of a disaster-thriller movie. But readers will realize that this is not just about waiting for disaster to strike -- it is Junius's story, too, and if the lake changes, so does he, as these circumstances require heroism. Bold action, solid characterization, and an adept handling of subjects ranging from neurodivergence and environmental science to the slave trade and the origins of Cajun culture along the Gulf of Mexico make this an example of dramatic storytelling with substance. Back matter includes a map of Lake Peigneur and the surrounding area, an author's note, lists of "Amazing Words of Southern Louisiana" and "Amazing Waterbodies of the World," and suggested reading about the real event. Dean SchneiderSeptember/October 2025 p.79 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Book Review
A lake recounts its historical connections to the family of a boy who's been "exiled to a strange, watery land." "I am a lake, so let me be clear," insists Lake Peigneur, an ancient body of water deep in Louisiana's Mississippi Delta. But for Junius Leak, who's nearly 13 in the summer of 1980, things are far from clear. From the lake's perspective, the reason for the return of the latest in a long line of Junius Leaks to his birthplace is obvious, with origins in 1820, involving pirates and the first infant Junius. While his parents attend a retreat to work on their marriage, the current Junius, who reads white, faces a surprise trip to Delcambre, Louisiana, to stay with a maternal uncle he'd never heard of. Despite upsides, like new friends, Aunt Boudreaux (a sassy and occasionally problematic cat), and firsthand experiences with his special interest (bodies of water), the move has downsides, too, like how terrifying such bodies of water can be up close and the frustrating lack of communication around his biggest family-related questions. Although the term was coined in the mid-1990s, Junius' mom is a self-described "highly sensitive person"; she tells her son, "June Bug…us HSPs have to stick together," and the book includes helpful coping mechanisms. This expansive, multilayered tale combines a pirate treasure mystery, environmental science and activism, Cajun cultural influences, and deep acceptance of and compassion for neurodivergence. An immersive and grounded story of becoming and self-discovery. (author's note, glossary, resources, map)(Adventure. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
TextPublisher: Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2025Edition: First editionDescription: 519 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cmContent type: