Flight or Fight

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

Jane Ray rescues a drowning sea bird that had been caught in a canola
oil spill. She takes the bird to the Urban Wildlife Rescue Centre, where
she learns that the spill was likely caused by a corroded pipeline
belonging to the SeaKing Shipping Company. As the 16-year-old witnesses
the results of the spill, she realizes that she has a passionate desire
to help rescue wildlife and a determination to fight the company that
refuses to acknowledge their negligence or accept responsibility for the
damage and suffering it has caused. Jane is often discouraged at
SeaKing’s cover-up and lack of response to her fight, but with the
encouragement and assistance of her friends, she ultimately succeeds in
revealing the truth about SeaKing’s reckless and irresponsible
actions.

With a generous amount of the story devoted to a description of the
Urban Wildlife Rescue Centre’s work and the challenges that it faces,
the story may have become bogged down in the details, but the plot heats
up quickly and continues to keep the reader turning the page. The author
presents a balanced perspective by giving voice to the characters’
motivations on all sides of the issue. Jane’s family dynamics and
romantic connections also add a nice diversion from the more serious
issues, and with that area unresolved it is something to look forward to
reading about in future stories. This is a very informative book that is
extremely entertaining as well. A great choice for young teens. Highly
recommended.