Spineless

by Samantha San Miguel

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

When 12-year-old aspiring naturalist Algie discovers a new species at his wellness resort, it’s up to him to protect it from exotic animal collectors — no matter the cost. Fans of historical fiction, animals and science will be sure to enjoy this rollicking adventure.

Wild boar, alligators, hammerhead sharks . . . Can twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth survive the swamps of South Florida? More importantly, can he survive his asthma attacks long enough to make a scientific discovery and fulfill his dream of becoming a real naturalist?
 
With the help of Frankie and Lulu, intrepid heiresses to the Hotel Paraíso, Algie embarks on the adventure of a lifetime as he escapes certain death, discovers a brand-new species, and goes head-to-head with diabolical thieves, all while a deadly and mysterious red tide ravages the beaches and a possible curse threatens to close down the Hotel Paraíso for good. Can Algie, Frankie, and Lulu save themselves, solve the mystery of the hotel’s curse, and save their never-before-seen species?
 
“San Miguel concocts a comical and exciting tale that leads to a wild, suspenseful, storm-tossed climax while weaving in thoughtful ruminations on the necessity of giving science, people, and nature their just dues, too.” — Booklist, Starred Review
 
“This exceptionally well-written written story gives a nod to the era's fascination with creepy hauntings and dastardly secrets as it expertly transports readers into the atmosphere of 19th-century Florida, uniting well-drawn, nuanced characters with imaginative and tension-building plot twists.... Pure storytelling at its best.”— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
“Algie has a winsome urgency that makes him likable.... His relationships with his family and new friends are realistic and evolve as Algie, Frankie, and Lulu face dangerous adults. In the life-threatening denouement, Algie displays a nuanced empathy for others.” — School Library Journal
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454946151
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	03/28/2023
Series:	Spineless
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	157,363
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Samantha San Miguel grew up barefoot in South Florida. Growing up in this wild, diverse, and exuberant state taught Samantha a lifelong respect for the natural world with both its dangers and delight. Working there as an adult taught her a love for the colorful personalities that crowd the state’s borders. And leaving it taught her that whether in Florida, Cuba, or anywhere else in the world, you can never be an exile if there’s sunshine in your heart.

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2022

A Jules Verne aesthetic and themes of contemporary environmentalism underpin this sensationalist sea-monster melodrama set in 1890s Florida. When 12-year-old Chicagoan Algie Emsworth, an asthmatic aspiring naturalist, arrives at the Hotel Paraíso, his mother expects him to spend the winter “bathing quietly in the mineral springs.” The resort is anything but tranquil, though: sea-life carcasses line the beach, a toxic red tide exacerbates Algie’s condition, and a curse stalks the hotel. When Algie rescues a bioluminescent octopus from the clutches of whiskered explorer Prof. Ransom Champion, the creature takes a shine to Algie. So do tween field biologists-in-training Frankie and Lulu Davenport, daughters of the millionaire resort owner, and the trio sets out to foil the fiendish Professor, who kills birds for the plume trade and seeks a “mystery beast.” For all the mocking of celebrity ambition and the connections made between greed and environmental destruction, colonialism remains strangely unexamined herein. But slapstick-brimming chapters, literary references, and scenery-chewing Victorian characters populate the third-person telling as debut author San Miguel reinforces interspecies care, crafting an eco-friendly steampunk thriller. Frankie and Lulu are Cuban American; all other characters read as white or racially ambiguous. Ages 8–12. Agent: Hannah Fergesen, KT Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

San Miguel concocts a comical and exciting tale that leads to a wild, suspenseful, storm-tossed climax while weaving in thoughtful ruminations on the necessity of giving science, people, and nature their just dues, too.” — Booklist, Starred Review

“This exceptionally well-written written story gives a nod to the era's fascination with creepy hauntings and dastardly secrets as it expertly transports readers into the atmosphere of 19th-century Florida, uniting well-drawn, nuanced characters with imaginative and tension-building plot twists.... Pure storytelling at its best.”— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Algie has a winsome urgency that makes him likable.... His relationships with his family and new friends are realistic and evolve as Algie, Frankie, and Lulu face dangerous adults. In the life-threatening denouement, Algie displays a nuanced empathy for others.” — School Library Journal

“San Miguel's lively story engages deeply with the power of pretending. Algie has little to no life experience of his own thanks to his health troubles and the shielding arm of his mother. But he does have a plethora of practical knowledge thanks to his bookishness. When times get tough, he embodies the brave scientist he wishes to become: he straightens his back, fixes his umbrella cap firmly onto his head and dives head first into danger. Algie's heroism in times of uncertainty reminds us that empathy, not knowledge, is the greatest good of all.” — Shelf Awareness

“Adventure, gargantuan creatures, and circus acts—Samantha San Miguel’s debut middle grade novel has it all . . . . This book was an absolute delight.”—MUGGLENET

“This fast-paced middle grade novel is a treat to read, one of those luxurious things that will take you places from the comfort of your own home and let you travel far and wide—one of the true joys of reading . . . . This ideal summer read is full of adventure and deceit, with wonderful descriptions of the environment and great, witty dialogue.”—GEEKDAD 

“What middle-aged child doesn’t love secret plots, cool science, and a curse? . . . . Children aged 8-12 will love this comedic and exciting scientific mystery book by Samantha San Miguel.” —Daily Mom

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

Gr 4–7—Twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth, who is white, relishes his stay at the Hotel Paraiso, a health resort in Florida in the late 19th century. Assuming his asthma will shorten his life, Algie resents his brother Everett and his mother's coddling and hopes to gain juvenile renown with a paper published by The Chicago Academy of Natural History. Soon after arrival, Algie rescues an anthropomorphic octopus and meets the millionaire owner Aloysius Davenport's two daughters, Frankie and Lulu, described as half Cuban with blonde and curly brunette hair, respectively. Sharing a mutual interest in field biology, the three join forces to uncover the mystery of dying sea life, and to figure out what the unscrupulous Professor Champion, Madam Maximus (head of the Aerial Acrobats), and her performer Angel O'Dare are planning. The octopus is a great sidekick, picking locks by tentacle. Algie has a winsome urgency that makes him likable. Staring his mortality down, Algie faces a limited window to make his mark on the world. His relationships with his family and new friends are realistic and evolve as Algie, Frankie, and Lulu face dangerous adults. In the life-threatening denouement, Algie displays a nuanced empathy for others. There may be a few too many elements thrown in the mix, but the story bears them moderately well. VERDICT While a Calpurnia Tate—style historical fiction has a particular audience, this boasts a rich setting, an ecological mystery, and enough character development to recommend it.—Caitlin Augusta

School Library Journal

★ 2022-04-13
A budding young Gilded Age naturalist discovers more than he ever dreamed possible.

Twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth of Chicago has asthma and possibly the tuberculosis that killed his father three years earlier. His mother, hovering and anxious, decides to take him and his 16-year-old brother, Everett, to the Hotel Paraíso in Florida for the winter season. As the steamer is about to dock, Algie sees two men in a boat catch a small octopus. Overhearing one of the men saying he will cut it up for bait, Algie jumps overboard to save the little creature—which he does, only finding out later that the man is a famed naturalist and author whose magazine adventure stories have enthralled him. On his way to the hotel, Algie meets Lulu and Frankie, the rambunctious, highly competent Cuban and White American daughters of the hotel’s owner. Meanwhile, strange things are occurring around the hotel, including odd lights and washed-up sea creatures, and as the three children sleuth, they discover something incredible. Algie (whose name astute readers may figure out holds significance) must come to grips with his physical weaknesses and, in the process, discovers his strengths. This exceptionally well-written story gives a nod to the era's fascination with creepy hauntings and dastardly secrets as it expertly transports readers into the atmosphere of 19th-century Florida, uniting well-drawn, nuanced characters with imaginative and tension-building plot twists. Most characters default to White.

Pure storytelling at its best. (Historical fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews