Egg Marks the Spot: A Skunk and Badger Story

by Amy Timberlake, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Overview

Indie Bestseller * Amazon Top 20 Children's Book * Amazon Best Children's Book * Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Chicago Public Library Best Book

Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake returns with a follow-up to the bestselling, award-winning Skunk and Badger. With illustrations by Caldecott medalist Jon Klassen, this new adventure begins as Skunk and Badger head out on a rock-finding expedition, finding surprises behind every boulder.

Buried in the heart of every animal is a secret treasure. For rock scientist Badger, it’s the Spider Eye Agate he found as a cub, stolen years ago by his crafty cousin, Fisher. For Badger’s roommate, Skunk, the treasure is Sundays with the New Yak Times Book Review. When an old acquaintance, Mr. G. Hedgehog, announces his plan to come for the Book Review as soon as it thumps on the doorstep, Skunk decides an adventure will solve Badger’s problems as well as his own. Surprisingly, Badger agrees. Together they set off on an agate-finding expedition at Badger’s favorite spot on Endless Lake.

But all is not as it seems at Campsite #5. Fisher appears unexpectedly. Then a chicken arrives who seems intent on staying. Something is up!

Indeed!

Secrets, betrayals, lies

. . . and a luminous, late-Jurassic prize.

Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake spins the second tale in this series about two opposites who became friends, alongside the lush art of New York Times bestselling author-illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.

Don't miss the third book in the Skunk and Badger series, coming in Fall 2025: Rock Paper Incisors!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643752280
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Series:	Skunk and Badger , #2
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Amy Timberlake’s novels for young readers have received an Edgar Award, a Golden Kite Award, the China Times Best Book Award, and the Newbery Honor for One Came Home. She grew up in Hudson, Wisconsin, but now calls Chicago home. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and holds an MA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. You can find her walking on Chicago’s Lakefront Trail on cool, crisp fall days.
Jon Klassen is a Canadian-born author-illustrator. His books include I Want My Hat Back; This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal; We Found A Hat; and The Skull. Jon is also the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and The Dark by Lemony Snicket, among many others. He is a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to children's literature. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Find him online at imjonklassen.com.

Editorial Reviews

A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2021
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021

“Leaning heavily on its delightfully whimsical qualities, Book 2 of Timberlake and Klassen’s endearing series also boasts a whole lot of heart, perhaps even more so than its predecessor. Even as its often fantastical premise careens over the edge (and thrillingly so), the series’ titular duo keep it grounded thanks to Timberlake’s clear admiration for these characters and their quirks. Klassen’s artwork, meanwhile, continues to awe with its wistfulness. As wonderful as Important Rock Work.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Timberlake creates an irresistible mix of high stakes, laugh-out-loud moments, and truly unexpected plot twists . . . making for an unforgettable expedition. Klassen’s chapter illustrations . . . further heighten the story’s charm and humor. All told, it’s a wonderful read.”
—Booklist, starred review

“Quirky, comical . . . Tender and outrageously funny . . . Skunk and Badger return for a thrilling and poignant adventure in this second hilarious title in the series by award-winning duo Amy Timberlake and Jon Klassen.”
 —Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Skunk and Badger are lovely books, beautifully written, often laugh-out-loud funny, a winning combination of science and whimsy, with wondrous, droll, sepia-shaded ink illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.”
—The Buffalo News

“Author Amy Timberlake has such a fun franchise going with the Skunk and Badger books . . . Clever, smart, and laugh-out-loud funny and exciting at the same time. Her writing is terrific, and the story is compelling. The illustrations by Jon Klassen have just the right sense of fun to them to accompany this terrific story. It’s a good one!”
—Seattle Book Review

“The clever dialogue and sophisticated humor that characterized the first book will draw readers in, as will the solid (if unconventional) bond that has developed between the two main characters. The action is very exciting . . . Readers who enjoyed the first Skunk and Badger story will welcome this new adventure, and it might be a good fit for fans of classics like The Wind in the Willows or more modern favorites like The Wild Robot.”
—Youth Services Book Review 
 
“A tangle of adventure and science, dinosaurs and spelunking and the comeuppance of a criminal . . . Kids might not notice they’re learning while they’re laughing . . . Both boys and girls can enjoy the pandemonium. If you know a kid who loves animals, science, peril, and hilarious tales, they’ll totally dig it.”
—The Bookworm Sez
 

From the Publisher

Narrator Michael Boatman is a one-man band of banjo plucks, chicken bocks, and a panoply of other sound effects in this clever and silly sequel to SKUNK AND BADGER. Odd couple Skunk and Badger have settled into a routine as roommates in Aunt Lula’s brownstone. When they embark on a rock-finding expedition to Endless Lake, they make an unexpected and amazing discovery in a nearby cave—and have a run-in with Badger’s treasure-dealing cousin, Fisher. Boatman goes all in, delivering Skunk and Badger’s back-and-forth banter and all of Timberlake’s swoops and swirls of language and wordplay with panache and full-throated enthusiasm. Young listeners and adults alike will laugh out loud as this quirky, sweet story about friendship unfolds. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Michael Boatman is a one-man band of banjo plucks, chicken bocks, and a panoply of other sound effects in this clever and silly sequel to SKUNK AND BADGER. Odd couple Skunk and Badger have settled into a routine as roommates in Aunt Lula’s brownstone. When they embark on a rock-finding expedition to Endless Lake, they make an unexpected and amazing discovery in a nearby cave—and have a run-in with Badger’s treasure-dealing cousin, Fisher. Boatman goes all in, delivering Skunk and Badger’s back-and-forth banter and all of Timberlake’s swoops and swirls of language and wordplay with panache and full-throated enthusiasm. Young listeners and adults alike will laugh out loud as this quirky, sweet story about friendship unfolds. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

★ 2021-07-14
Odd-couple pals Skunk and Badger return.

When a former neighbor threatens to resume his weekly theft of Skunk’s New Yak Times Book Review, Skunk convinces Badger to undertake a rock-finding expedition in order to assuage the pain of a Book Review–less Sunday. “You cannot leave a hole at the beginning of your Wall of Rocks,” observes Skunk. Indeed, Badger’s Wall of Rocks—organized alphabetically—does not have the letter A rock. Blame it on Badger’s treasure-hunting cousin, Fisher, who stole Badger’s Spider Eye Agate long ago. The trip begins well enough: a walk alongside Endless Lake and into the woods where a waterfall fits the bill for Important Rock Work. “X MARKS THE SPOT!” yells Skunk. Then Fisher shows up, mocking Badger’s Important Rock Scientist research. When Skunk and Badger learn of a cave with a dinosaur egg embedded in a wall of amber, the duo must thwart Fisher’s attempts to steal the egg from its chicken protectors. Leaning heavily on its delightfully whimsical qualities, Book 2 of Timberlake and Klassen’s endearing series also boasts a whole lot of heart, perhaps even more so than its predecessor. Even as its often fantastical premise careens over the edge (and thrillingly so), the series’ titular duo keep it grounded thanks to Timberlake’s clear admiration for these characters and their quirks. Klassen’s artwork, meanwhile, continues to awe with its wistfulness.

As wonderful as Important Rock Work. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews