Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Poignant Lipan Apache fantasy of home, loss, family bonds.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SHEINE LENDE, 17-year-old Shane and her mother Lorenza find a girl lost in the desert with the help of their ghost dog Nellie. They're both experienced trackers and take on jobs for free in between Lorenza's work picking fruit and Shane's summer job at a pizza place. When Lorenza is called to find a brother and sister who went missing near the railroad tracks, Shane must stay behind to take care of her little brother, Marcos. She knows something is horribly wrong when, hours later, Nellie returns without Lorenza. The lost siblings' grandparents take Shane to the place Lorenza vanished into thin air. Right away she notices a ring of spotted mushrooms that look like mimics of fairy transport. This means the three unsuspecting travelers could be anyplace they were thinking of when they entered the ring. Sure enough, as soon as Shane steps in the ring and says "take me to the siblings" she lands in the Ozark Mountains and finds Donnie, the oldest. But where is her brother and why isn't Shane's mom with them? And how will she and Donnie get back to find them before they're lost forever? When Donnie tells Shane that her brother Bobby most wanted to be with his deceased parents, Shane fears the worst.
Is It Any Good?
This magical tale of loss, family, and the importance of home dabbles in fantasy with ghosts and fairies but focuses most on relationships. Main character Shane, whose full name is Sheine Lende, has a young brother and so does Donnie, the first person she finds through the mimic fairy rings. Both teens have experienced family loss already -- Donnie lost both her parents, Shane lost her father and grandparents when she was 8 years old, and now her mother is missing. It makes their bond to their brothers especially strong. Both teens also have more memories than their brothers of family, and for Shane, memories of a lost home and culture as well. Through Shane's vivid flashbacks, her desperation to find their families again becomes more and more poignant.
Shane follows false leads and gets the brush-off from fairy representatives, whose roadside visit is intriguing and far too brief. Also brief: the appearance of a sea monster. She offers Shane a valuable tool, but is a confusing presence otherwise. Shane's fascinating encounters with the dead and ghosts have more weight as the story concludes. Mysteries are solved late, some not until the Epilogue, but the conclusion satisfies and reminds us all of how vital home and family are to our lives.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the loss of Shane's childhood home in Sheine Lende. What happens to her family after the flood? How is it more than the loss of a home for Shane as a Lipan Apache? What is the deeper historical significance of Shane's comment at the end of Chapter 12: "Just like a treaty….A promise made to be broken."
Shane does research about the mimic fairy rings 1970s style, which took much more perseverance than it does today. What tools does she use to find answers? How many people help her in her search? How many actual people helped you research the last paper you wrote?
Which of the great grandmothers in Shane's supernaturally gifted family would you like to read about next? Would you like Shane's gift? If so, what ghosts would you want as pets?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Rovina Cai
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Bugs ) , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Empathy , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Levine Querido
- Publication date : April 16, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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