A Penny for Albert

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

CoolSchool TV is an experimental TV series jointly produced by the
Badlands Middle School and the local cable station where Penny Moonstar
hosts the “Weird Science Facts” segment. Penny and her
eight-year-old brother accompany their geologist father on one of his
treks to the Badlands. Penny’s plan to broadcast “Weird Science
Facts” from this incredible landscape goes awry when she and her
brother are caught up in a confusing series of events that feature some
rather weird characters.

The story takes place in the Badlands of Alberta, around the Royal
Tyrell Museum (noted for its displays of dinosaurs, fossils,
paleontology collections, and digs) and the Red Deer River Badlands, an
area famous for its mushroom-shaped hoodoos, prickly pear cactus,
scorpions, and prairie rattlesnakes. Unfortunately, the illustrations
fail to capture the area’s breathtaking beauty. The story itself reads
like a movie script and lacks the continuity of detail that would make
it a satisfying read. If subsequent titles in the series were to fill in
some of the missing facts, A Penny for Albert would be a worthwhile
addition to any library. Recommended with reservations.