If you have an unexplained obsession with turtles the way I do, this book is for you. I saw my first Galapagos tortoise when I was visiting the San Diego Zoo with my 16 year old son. They are stunning. This book does a great job educating about and advocating for these tortoises. The photos are what will really draw the kids in. My daughter was stunned by the photo of a tortoise being measured. The scale of human to tortoise blew her mind.

This is a Non-Fiction children's/Young Middle Grade. I love most of this book, and I found it very interesting. I loved finding out how all those animals started to live on these island made by volcanic. I also really enjoyed learning why tracking these tortoises are so important. The pictures where so very great. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Millbrook Press) or author (Kate Messner) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Tracking Tortoises: The Mission to Save a Galápagos Giant by Kate Messner, with photographs by Jake Messner, is currently scheduled for release on September 7 2021. Galápagos giant tortoises are fascinating—and endangered. They live only on the Galápagos Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. These tortoises face threats from the humans who live on—and visit—the islands, as well as from Earth's warming climate. This book takes readers on an a journey to the Galápagos Islands to see these incredible creatures up close and discover how cutting-edge technology is helping scientists to study and protect them.

Tracking Tortoises: The Mission to Save a Galápagos Giant gives readers a great blend of science fact and personal narrative. Readers get to know a bit about the scientists and volunteers involved in her trip and the greater mission to save these endangered animals. I already knew a good deal of the background- why the animals on the island are so special and in danger, but there were details here that I missed (or forgot) in my previous readings and documentary watching. It was interesting to see the tools and technology that are now available to help the effort and how invested volunteers and researchers are using every idea and tool at their disposal to make a difference. I can think of many middle grade readers- and those both older and younger- that would be invested and engaged in this read. I think seeing what it is like to actually do the hands on work in these efforts will encourage more readers to do what they can now to help, and what s possible for them to do in the future. I also appreciated the source notes, suggestions for further reading, and other information included in the book's endnotes. I think this book is a perfect addition to school collections, libraries, and personal collections.

Kate Messner takes us on a literary adventure as young readers learn about tortoises in the Galapagos Islands. Her book features full color photographs and plenty of information to keep young animal and tortoise loves enthralled. Many books targeting this age range leave out pertinent vocabulary, but I am excited to say that Messner doesn’t do that. She takes you on a full tour of the tortoises, their migration, the environment, and current research. This was a hit with my reptile loving 7 year old.

A great read for any aspiring naturalists out there - definitely recommend to kids anywhere between around 9 and 15, especially if they're interested in natural history, tortoises, or the Galapagos Islands.

I love Tortoises and really wanted to read this book about the Galapagos Island Tortoises and their migratory patterns. The book is full of beautiful photos of not only the Tortoises but of the area in which they live and even the testing labs that studies them. It goes into the tracking devices and how some migrate while others don't. A wonderful book that I highly recommend for kids of all ages. Thanks #Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

"Tracking Tortoises" by Kate Messner - is an amazing new non-fiction text. This makes it for a perfect middle school science text, as we learn more about the Galapagos Islands and the need for their conservation. Messner’s story revolves around giant tortoises, their ecosystem, numerous threats, and ongoing scientific efforts. Learning about giant tortoises will be extra special for all students who already encounter Gopher Tortoises in their neighborhoods.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Messner, and Lerner Publishing Group for the opportunity to read Tracking Tortoises: The Mission to Save a Galapagos Giant in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book full of fun facts about the Galapagos and its biodiversity. I requested this book because of my love of tortoises and for the fact that I have visited the Galapagos before. 
This book is being marketed under "children's" though I would say the text comprehension level is at least middle grade. While the pictures and captions can be fun for younger readers, the amount of text on the page is just a bit too much.

One fun aspect of this book is that it has QR codes that the reader can scan for interactivity. There are short video clips or sounds of the animals and researchers. If you don't have a QR code, the URL is available (though it only worked on my phone and not when I tried to use it on my computer). There were also other interactive elements, such as the research website used to track wildlife and the information to donate to help conserve the Galapagos and its biodiversity as well as fund research.

My favorite part of the book was the section that went a bit into tortoise anatomy. It is very interesting to see how they are put together under their shell.

White there were a lot of words on one page and this took a bit longer to read than expected, I had a lot of fun with the interactivity and I learned some interesting facts, even though I had a good deal of knowledge about the Galapagos to begin with. I would recommend this book for tortoise lovers (myself as a new tortoise parent) and young readers grades 5-8.

I was hoping to learn mode about the Galapagos tortoises, and this book did have a lot of information. However, that information was overwhelming. There was too much in the book to fully understand and enjoy. Too much on each page and not organized enough.

Thanks for the chance to read this young reader's nonfiction focused on tortoises. This book will be best suited for advanced young readers, as well as middle school to young high school years because it is absolutely packed with information, some of which is a bit advanced in terminology. I was surprised at how much went into this book. When I initially saw the suggested price tag, I was a bit skeptical. However, I can definitely tell that a lot of work into this book -- it is packed full with full color photos, around 70 pages full of information split into seven chapters, and guided resources for further reading. I think that an additional strength of this book is its layout/design, which appropriately balances photos/charts and walls of text. Therefore, I ultimately would suggest this book for the above described age groups, classroom/school libraries, and summer camps (good for animal/reptile lovers and nature enthusiasts).

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review.. This book is about tracking Tortoises on the Galapagos Islands. It is information-heavy with excellent pictures but will be suited for older elementary kids over young kids due to the amount of information found inside.