An Army of Frogs

Gr 3–6—In this fast-paced tale, Pryce finds just the right balance between brutality and bravery, friendship and betrayal, and loss and discovery. Darel, a common wood frog, has a burning desire to emulate his late father, a mighty Kulipari warrior who died defending their homeland from invading scorpions. A new alliance between the scorpions and spiders threatens the Amphibilands. Darel and his friend Gee find themselves in the heart of the enemy camp: Gee a prisoner and Darel posing as a warrior volunteer. Darel's cunning and bravery make for a page-turner, and readers will be rooting for him as he, Gee, and their friend Coorah help lead the army of frogs to victory and secure the Amphibilands once more. Greene lends his talent with lush color illustrations that capture the tension and tenor of the text. Fans of Suzanne Collins's "Underland Chronicles" series (Scholastic) will be clamoring for this well-written first installation in a series. A must-have, winning adventure that is nearly impossible to put down.—Mary Beth Rassulo, Ridgefield Library, CT