Staying at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida due to his asthma, 12-year-old budding naturalist Algie stumbles upon a brand-new species that he must protect from a famous collector of exotic animals in a place where evil is lurking. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

"When his asthma lands him at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida, twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth is over the moon. The scientific treasure trove of unexplored swamps may launch his dream career as a naturalist. But even Algie is startled when he happens upon a brand-new species and her brood in the karst springs surrounding the resort. Algie quickly realizes he must keep his discovery a secret: a famous collector of exotic animals is also staying at the hotel, and the new species isthreatened by his very presence. An apparent curse has also descended upon the hotel, bringing with it a deadly red tide. But when the pool starts filling with ink and guests start getting mysterious, sucker-shaped wounds, Algie must pluck up his courageto find the truth about the goings-on at the Grand Hotel--and save the new species from destruction"--Amazon.com. - (Baker & Taylor)

When his asthma lands him at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida, twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth is over the moon. The scientific treasure trove of unexplored swamps may launch his dream career as a naturalist. But even Algie is startled when he happens upon a brand-new species and her brood in the karst springs surrounding the resort. Algie quickly realizes he must keep his discovery a secret: a famous collector of exotic animals is also staying at the hotel, and the new species is threatened by his very presence. An apparent curse has also descended upon the hotel, bringing with it a deadly red tide. But when the pool starts filling with ink and guests start getting mysterious, sucker-shaped wounds, Algie must pluck up his courage to find the truth about the goings-on at the Grand Hotel—and save the new species from destruction. - (Sterling)

This exciting middle-grade adventure is Hoot for the Gilded Age—with scientific discoveries, secret plots, and surprisingly enormous fauna.              
When his asthma lands him at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida, twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth is over the moon. The scientific treasure trove of unexplored swamps may launch his dream career as a naturalist. But even Algie is startled when he happens upon a brand-new species and her brood in the karst springs surrounding the resort. Algie quickly realizes he must keep his discovery a secret: a famous collector of exotic animals is also staying at the hotel, and the new species is threatened by his very presence. An apparent curse has also descended upon the hotel, bringing with it a deadly red tide. But when the pool starts filling with ink and guests start getting mysterious, sucker-shaped wounds, Algie must pluck up his courage to find the truth about the goings-on at the Grand Hotel—and save the new species from destruction. - (Sterling)

Samantha San Miguelgrew up barefoot in South Florida. Living in this wild, diverse, and exuberant state taught Samantha a lifelong respect for the natural world with both its dangers and delights. Working there as an adult taught her a love for the colorful personalities that crowd the state’s borders. And leaving it taught her that whether in Florida, Cuba, or anywhere else in the world, you can never be an exile if there’s sunshine in your heart. - (Sterling)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* The teeming swamps of southwestern Florida play a large role in this rollicking tale of three young Gilded Age naturalists who discover and then struggle to protect a mother octopus—a new species—and her frisky brood. In hopes of seeing lots of exotic wildlife as well as keeping his asthma from developing into the pneumonia that killed his father, white 12-year-old Algie arrives at the isolated Hotel Paraíso—just in time to hear that it's being shut down due to a rash of eerie incidents and marine die-offs. Algie joins the owner's half Cuban daughters Francisca and Lourdes, themselves avid amateur "field biologists," to investigate, and the mystery quickly leads to watery adventures and misadventures capped by a thrilling encounter with a huge, friendly cephalopod the trio names, appropriately, Octavia. How can they possibly keep her and eight curious, rambunctious offspring, who are all too catlike in character as well as size, from being captured or killed by grown-ups? San Miguel concocts a comical and exciting tale that leads to a wild, suspenseful, storm-tossed climax while weaving in thoughtful ruminations on the necessity of giving science, people, and nature their just dues, too. Audiences will be beguiled by the healthy doses of natural science and a protagonist readers (particularly perceptive ones) will cheer on, both for his ability to overcome deep anxieties in the clutch and his conviction that people, like nature, deserve respect. Grades 4-6. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

A budding young Gilded Age naturalist discovers more than he ever dreamed possible. Twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth of Chicago has asthma and possibly the tuberculosis that killed his father three years earlier. His mother, hovering and anxious, decides to take him and his 16-year-old brother, Everett, to the Hotel Paraíso in Florida for the winter season. As the steamer is about to dock, Algie sees two men in a boat catch a small octopus. Overhearing one of the men saying he will cut it up for bait, Algie jumps overboard to save the little creature—which he does, only finding out later that the man is a famed naturalist and author whose magazine adventure stories have enthralled him. On his way to the hotel, Algie meets Lulu and Frankie, the rambunctious, highly competent Cuban and White American daughters of the hotel's owner. Meanwhile, strange things are occurring around the hotel, including odd lights and washed-up sea creatures, and as the three children sleuth, they discover something incredible. Algie (whose name astute readers may figure out holds significance) must come to grips with his physical weaknesses and, in the process, discovers his strengths. This exceptionally well-written story gives a nod to the era's fascination with creepy hauntings and dastardly secrets as it expertly transports readers into the atmosphere of 19th-century Florida, uniting well-drawn, nuanced characters with imaginative and tension-building plot twists. Most characters default to White. Pure storytelling at its best. (Historical fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus 2022 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

A Jules Verne aesthetic and themes of contemporary environmentalism underpin this sensationalist sea-monster melodrama set in 1890s Florida. When 12-year-old Chicagoan Algie Emsworth, an asthmatic aspiring naturalist, arrives at the Hotel Paraíso, his mother expects him to spend the winter "bathing quietly in the mineral springs." The resort is anything but tranquil, though: sea-life carcasses line the beach, a toxic red tide exacerbates Algie's condition, and a curse stalks the hotel. When Algie rescues a bioluminescent octopus from the clutches of whiskered explorer Prof. Ransom Champion, the creature takes a shine to Algie. So do tween field biologists-in-training Frankie and Lulu Davenport, daughters of the millionaire resort owner, and the trio sets out to foil the fiendish Professor, who kills birds for the plume trade and seeks a "mystery beast." For all the mocking of celebrity ambition and the connections made between greed and environmental destruction, colonialism remains strangely unexamined herein. But slapstick-brimming chapters, literary references, and scenery-chewing Victorian characters populate the third-person telling as debut author San Miguel reinforces interspecies care, crafting an eco-friendly steampunk thriller. Frankie and Lulu are Cuban American; all other characters read as white or racially ambiguous. Ages 8–12. Agent: Hannah Fergesen, KT Literary. (June)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 4–7—Twelve-year-old Algie Emsworth, who is white, relishes his stay at the Hotel Paraiso, a health resort in Florida in the late 19th century. Assuming his asthma will shorten his life, Algie resents his brother Everett and his mother's coddling and hopes to gain juvenile renown with a paper published by The Chicago Academy of Natural History. Soon after arrival, Algie rescues an anthropomorphic octopus and meets the millionaire owner Aloysius Davenport's two daughters, Frankie and Lulu, described as half Cuban with blonde and curly brunette hair, respectively. Sharing a mutual interest in field biology, the three join forces to uncover the mystery of dying sea life, and to figure out what the unscrupulous Professor Champion, Madam Maximus (head of the Aerial Acrobats), and her performer Angel O'Dare are planning. The octopus is a great sidekick, picking locks by tentacle. Algie has a winsome urgency that makes him likable. Staring his mortality down, Algie faces a limited window to make his mark on the world. His relationships with his family and new friends are realistic and evolve as Algie, Frankie, and Lulu face dangerous adults. In the life-threatening denouement, Algie displays a nuanced empathy for others. There may be a few too many elements thrown in the mix, but the story bears them moderately well. VERDICT While a Calpurnia Tate—style historical fiction has a particular audience, this boasts a rich setting, an ecological mystery, and enough character development to recommend it.—Caitlin Augusta