This was an interesting read for me to chose from my shelf today. I enjoyed the writing style and the pacing of Big Foot Crossing. It only took me a day to read through Big Foot Crossing, but I also am a fast reader. I think this is a great book for older middle grade on to adult.

Main character Jay is frustrated. He didn’t want to go camping, he was tired of minding his younger sister Rose, and his dad kept them out in the woods searching for a Sasquatch, well past the time he should have fed the kids. Jay is also angry with his mum, who isn’t on the trip with them, and who left them a month earlier.

Their father’s dreams are answered, and the kids are separated from their dad, who has disappeared while chasing what he thinks is a sasquatch. Jay must protect his younger sister Rose, and figure out how to find his dad, and maybe make a discovery or two of his own about his family, his dad's obsession, and what's out in the woods.

The text, which is written for a young audience, is engaging, with Jay’s thoughts and emotions well drawn. There are plenty of scares, danger, action, humour and family drama to keep readers’ attention. Jay is a believable, engaging protagonist, and though this is a pretty short book, he grows up a little by the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orca Book Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my review.

What if there was a world where bigfoot was not only real, but that people wanted to be the first to prove that they were real, and bring them in to show them off like animals in a zoo.

Jay’s father loves searching for Big Foot, and is in a club that does just that. It is implied that his mother has left them because she wants nothing to do with this weird obsession.

While on one such camping trip, they do spot Big Foot, and discover that one of the club members has captured the whole family and plans to show them to the world.

And so Jay must help Big Foot, and family, and make sure that they still run free.

It is a cute, quick take on people who are obsessed with things, and where it can lead them. It is also a hi-lo book that means that it is easy for middle schoolers to read, and goes quite quickly.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Bigfoot Crossing
This is the first Orca Currents book that I have read. I am looking for books to offer my middle grade students who are reluctant to read chapter books. I can confidently state that students who like adventure will not want to put this book down, especially if they are intrigued by crytids. The pace was fast and the story was solid. The MC was likable and the conclusion was satisfying. I highly recommend Bigfoot Crossing.

Bigfoot Crossing will be the perfect addition to a middle-grades classroom, especially one where students may struggle with fluency and comprehension. Many of my students are not native English speakers, so choosing books to engage them in our ELA 7 classroom is challenging. Not anymore with this fun, fast-paced story of Jay, Rose, and their dad as their bigfoot spotting camping trip takes a turn for the worse. I love anything cryptid related (which my students know) so this quick read will happily find its place in my courses.

I am so excited to read this book. I want to thank the Publishers and Author for giving me an Arc copy of this book and I will begin reading it as soon as possible : ) .

I really enjoyed this quick story! Jay, a young boy, finds himself stuck in the woods taking care of his little sister after his dad has perhaps been abducted by Bigfoot. There were some well-developed conflicts in the story both for Jay, and for the other characters including Bigfoot. Jay's character was nicely developed over the course of the story. The only gap I felt that needed some additional time was the familial situation with the mom. It wasn't clear why she left or why her kids didn't want to see her at first. The only information readers got was from some texts that Jay kept reading. This was an unedited advanced copy of the story, so this may be the cause, but the texts from the mom where typed strangely. I wasn't sure if the mom left because of some issues she was having, leading to the strange texts, or if this was just something that still needed to be corrected in the final copies of the book.

The story was very fast paced and wasn't too challenging. A struggling YA reader would do well with this book and an reluctant reader would enjoy the suspense and the pace. Students who have parents that are going through divorces will also relate to this story. I'll be suggesting this book to my school librarian for our students.

I received an advanced copy of this book through #netgalley. I don’t read a lot of middle grade, but there were a few things that piqued my interest about this one: 1. Bigfoot, enough said 2. This book is part of Orca Current’s hi-lo collection, which they say is aimed at readers reading below grade level, is accessible to those with dyslexia, and those who struggle to read and/or don’t like to read. While I am not dyslexic, this book did feel really accessible to me and I LOVE the hi-lo concept. The plot was both entertaining and fast paced and I think would keep any middle grader’s attention.

If you’ve got a struggling or reluctant young reader in your life, I’d recommend this one when it comes out in February and also checking out Orca’s other hi-lo concept books.

Not too long ago, titles in the Orca Books Publishing catalog were recommended to me for reluctant readers. After reading “Bigfoot Crossing” I can see why.

This fast-paced story opens with Jay following his dad through the forest searching for Bigfoot. Jay is carrying his little sister and is none too happy about traipsing through the woods of the Northwest on a damp night. Things start to get interesting when the group begins to hear strange sounds in the woods.

A scary turn of events sends Jay running back to camp with his sister. In the darkness, Jay isn’t sure he can believe his own eyes, but takes no chances until he realizes his Dad didn’t make it back to camp. He knows he must risk everything to make sure his Dad is okay.

This story is seriously fast-paced and will surely engage reluctant readers or those interested in Bigfoot stories. The book is meant for middle school level students, but would also appeal to high school students. The publisher says the book is written at a 2.0. I like that Orca uses dyslexic-friendly fonts.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #OrcaBooks for providing a copy of “Bigfoot Crossing” in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.