Review: The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines

By Mo Netz

New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024. Fiction. 199 pages.

Eleven-year-old Jerry and her mother are still grieving the loss of Jerry's father and the upheaval it has caused in their everyday lives. Now, they travel from small town motel to small town motel, as Jerry's mother picks up work as a housekeeper and so Jerry has ground floor access for her wheelchair. But, there is something mysterious going on in the woods surrounding their latest motel stop, The Slumbering Giant. Not only are there blinking lights among the trees, there is also a history of disappearances and a radio channel that sporadically turns on with confusing messages. So, when Jerry's mom doesn't come home one night, Jerry knows something is wrong. She's determined to set off into the forest she's been strongly warned against entering. Upon entering the woods, she's joined by her pocket-sized imaginary dragon, Paul, and another budding friend staying at the hotel, Chapel -- where the intrepid trio quickly learn that the legends of "demons" in the woods are all to real and they have Jerry's mom!

Filled with sensitive depictions of Jerry's struggle to deal with the expectations of others surrounding her disability, her fear of forming new relationships, and ultimately her strong belief in herself and her abilities, The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines is a complex, layered adventure story for any lover of the supernatural.

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