Little Bigfoot, Big City: The Littlest Bigfoot, Book 2
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The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Little Bigfoot, Big City -- the second in Jennifer Weiner's The Littlest Bigfoot series centered on the relationship between two girls who feel like misfits -- explores loyalty and friendship and digs deep into mother-daughter relationships. Alice (raised in a human family) and Millie (who feels like a misfit in the Yare, or Bigfoot, tribe) find their friendship strained by time apart, distraction, and conflicting interests. A secret government organization is a menacing element, manipulating the children and their families and sowing distrust and confusion. A child is pursued by a man who orders him into his van and abuses his trust to gain information. A parent gets tipsy on champagne at a celebratory gathering.
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What's the story?
Alice, 12, wants to know whether she's really one of the secretive Yare, or Bigfoots, as LITTLE BIGFOOT, BIG CITY begins. To her frustration, her Yare friend Millie isn't supportive -- she's set on getting onto a nationally televised talent contest, working with a classmate Alice neither likes nor trusts. For help, Alice reaches out to Jeremy, a dogged Bigfoot hunter. His efforts to prove the Yare exist left him publicly humiliated and feeling guilty for putting the girls in the spotlight. Even worse, a secretive government agency is harassing his family to try to get him to help them find the Yare. Jeremy thinks he has a shot at being famous for finding the Yare while also protecting Millie and Alice -- until it all goes horribly wrong.
Is it any good?
The close bond between two misfit girls -- one in the human world, the other in a Bigfoot village -- is strained nearly to the breaking point in the second book in Jennifer Weiner's sensitive series. After bonding over their shared feeling that they don't belong, Alice and Millie are pulled apart by their pursuit of very different goals in Little Bigfoot, Big City. Newcomers to the series will catch up quickly, but readers of the first book will better appreciate the emotional depth.
Weiner is strongest when she probes the acute pain of losing faith in a friend and seeing your good intentions harm others. The diverse characters -- spanning gender, ethnicity, and ability -- allow her to reinforce explicit and subtle lessons on compassion. The plot takes some jarring turns toward an abrupt cliffhanger, and some of the developments raise troubling questions (why would a loving parent create an emotionally distant facade?). But Weiner's skill with her characters' emotional lives makes it worth the sometimes bumpy ride.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about Millie's uneasy feelings about social media in Little Bigfoot, Big City. Do you feel pressure to be active on social media? How do you feel after spending time on social media? (For help, see our advice on helping a social media-obsessed child.)
When Millie neglects Alice, Alice assumes she's been cast aside. Have you ever drifted apart from a friend? Did either of you try to fix your friendship?
Children are in some very uncomfortable -- and dangerous -- situations with unfamiliar adults. What could you do if an adult tried to pressure you to do something against your will?
Book details
- Author: Jennifer Weiner
- Genre: Friendship
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Misfits and Underdogs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Aladdin
- Publication date: October 31, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love fantasy and friendship tales
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