Blue Iguana

In a novel about wildlife conservation and passionate convictions, high school junior Clarice is drawn to safeguarding the welfare of animals big and small. Clarice is vegan, she's ejected from her biology class for protesting frog dissection, she refuses to drive a car ever since she ran over a frog, and she is vicious when a kid harms her autistic brother's pet insect. With Clarice's college applications looming, subpar grades, and general aimlessness in the classroom, her school counselor suggests she pursue volunteer work in an area of interest. Somewhat hastily, Clarice heads off to volunteer with the Blue Iguana Recovery Program on Grand Cayman Island. There she meets like-minded souls and dives into all aspects of caring for dramatically different, mysterious, and challenging "functionally extinct" reptiles. Townsend's (The Sundown Rule) detailed writing captures Clarice's extreme sensitivity, intuitiveness, and love for the animals she helps. Based on a tragic event in 2008, the story is a cogent examination of the human capacity for both cruelty and goodwill. Ages 11%E2%80%93up. (Mar.)