Bat and the Waiting Game: 05/14/18

Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold is the sequel to A Boy Called Bat (2017). Bixby Alexander Tam has come into his own with the help of an orphaned skunk kit, Thor, that he's been caring for. Skunks aren't normally pets, but Bat's mother is a veterinarian who sometimes also treats wild animals.

As summer draws closer, Bat is coming to realize that pretty soon Thor will no longer be a kit. Once Thor is grown up, he'll have to be rehabilitated for release into the wild. I'm not sure how that's going to work, given just how hand raised Thor has been and just how imprinted he is on Bat. For this book, though, those questions don't have to be asked as Thor is still slightly too young to even consider release.

Bat, who likes routine, has to change his to accommodate his sister. She's in drama club and has a role in the upcoming play. Since she can't take him home, he has to go home with his best friend. Although they're friends, Bat has never been to Israel's house.

This book's skunk expert is Dr. Theodore Stankowich, though he doesn't play a role as a character like Dr. Jerry Dragoo does in the first volume. There's a lot of thought and work in describing Thor as realistically as possible within the context of a middle grade novel.

Thor's story arc isn't complete. The big question of his fate once he hits adulthood are still there unanswered. I hope this means that 2019 will have a third volume on offer.

Four stars

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