Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Evangeline Mudd and the Great Mink Escapade
Illustrator: Andrea Wesson
Fiction Series
For ages 8 to 12
Candlewick, 2006 ISBN: 978-0763622954
Evangeline Mudd is the kind of girl who does her best to keep her promises. So when she gets a letter reminding her of a promise she made she decides that she simply must do all she can to help. Not that long ago Evangeline spent several very unhappy weeks at the home of her horrible uncle and frightful aunt. Her uncle is a mink rancher who turns mink into coats, underwear and other garments for the rich. Of course Evangeline thought this was quite dreadful and she soon made friends with a group of like-minded souls. The group called themselves P.U.F.F, or Pals United for Furry Friends. It is from P.U.F.F that Evangeline got the letter asking for help and though she hates the idea of returning to her uncle’s home, Mudd Manor, Evangeline does so anyway. Surely there has to be something that Evangeline can do to free the mink from their cruel enslavement and even more cruel fate.
When she gets to her uncle’s home Evangeline discovers that the mink are not the only ones in need of rescuing. She discovers that a baby elephant is also involved in one of her uncle’s hair-brained schemes and that a young dancer is a virtual prisoner at Mudd Manor. To make things even more confusing, there is no sign of the P.U.F.F. operatives. How on earth is Evangeline supposed to save the mink, the elephant, and the boy all by herself?
In this second Evangeline book, Evangeline will once again delight her young readers with her quirky sense of humor, her courage, and her determination to do what she thinks is right. Like everyone else she has her doubts about her own abilities but she still presses on, hoping for the best and reminding herself that sometimes one has to take risks to get things done. After all “one person can do almost anything. And the person doesn’t have to be fabulous either. The person can be ordinary, as ordinary as you or me.”
This is a wonderfully empowering story which combines a charmingly silly environmental tale with an important message which children of all ages need to hear.
