"Do cat's have wings?"
Kate is startled by her little brother Michael's question as they play baseball in the labrynthian gardens of the Tuscany estate of Signora De Checchi where they are vacationing in Italy. Kate at first wonders if Michael's mind is confusing one of the many statues on the grounds with a cat until she finds herself looking into the trusting eyes of a baby griffin, hiding under the foliage, but willing to come out and play with them.
But what do you do with a baby griffin? Michael's answer is to feed it and play with it, but Kate is not so sure. Where there is a baby, there is usually a parent to care for it. The griffin, which they name Grifonino, seems quite alone, however, and is better than a pet, since he slowly begins to understand and speak some English.
Michael's attachment to his new friend grows, but so does Kate's uneasiness. What is a mythological baby griffin doing in their very real Italy? Who is the frightening Prince Eduardo who sometimes comes into Kate's imagination and demands that she return the baby griffin to a nearby monastery? Worst of all, who will take care of Grifonino when their vacation comes to an end in only ten more days? They can't possibly take him home on a plane.
With relentless paparazzi and determined scientists on their trail, Kate and Michael are finally forced to take their older brother Stephen into their confidence. Together, Kate hopes they can find a way to save Grifonino and return him to whatever world he came from.
Kristin Wolden Nitz has created a story as fun as Narnia, only in reverse, as a young griffin accidentally ends up in our world. Saving the Griffin,with delicate illustrations by Yoshiko Jaeggi, is a charming blend of fantasy and mystery that will keep your middle grade reader flipping pages to find out if Kate and Michael can, in fact, save the griffin. If your child loves mysteries, look up Saving the Griffin at our local Gail Borden, or Batavia libraries and enjoy!
Issues you might want to discuss with your child as you read this book: This book does contain quite a bit of sibling strife as Stephen is just entering his teen years and rejects the company of his two younger siblings. Kate, the main character, is stung by this since she remembers better times when Stephen was not unwilling to hang out with his younger sister and brother. The kids also lie to adults and occasionally to each other as they attempt to keep the secret of the griffin.
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