by Kathi Appelt
First published 2021
Zada remembers her glory days racing for the Pasha of Smyrna and crossing dangerous seas with her camel companion. She recalls outsmarting a conceited mountain lion and leading military expeditions. Those adventures belong to the past. Now she roams the Texas desert as the state's final camel. Two baby kestrels have made their home in the fur between her ears, crying for their lost parents with sharp kee-killy-kee calls. When a massive dust storm sweeps across the landscape, Zada must draw on all her experience to keep the helpless chicks safe. The tempest forces the aging camel into what may become her greatest adventure yet. Her creaking bones carry precious cargo through the swirling sand and wind. The storm tests everything Zada has learned about survival, courage, and protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
Genres: fiction, nature, animals, survival, adventure
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, protecting-the-vulnerable
Setting: Texas, Smyrna
Period: Past, Present
331 pages · Kindle Edition · Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books