~ Saviors of the Bugle~

by Barbara Elmore

      Heroine:  still has her "baby fat"

      Wendy Wright is devastated when she hears that Moffat Corner's bi-weekly newspaper may have to shut down because one of its major advertisers is pulling their financial support and pressuring others to do the same.

      Enlisting the aid of best friends Libby and Riley, Wendy pledges to keep the paper open by offering their services as ad sales people and journalists, and their tactic seem to be buying the dying periodical some time. But then the subject of their first major article goes missing and what began as simple volunteer work takes a turn for the mysterious--and the dangerous!

What worked for me:

     Wendy was a pretty savvy young lady and had tremendous dedication and perseverance where her cause was concerned.

      I thought the main plot of "Saviors of the Bugle" was interesting, but was especially impressed by how deftly the author intertwined intense subplots involving difficult subjects such as child and animal abuse, grieving family members, and government corruption without making the book too heavy.

      Size-wise Wendy started out chubby, or at least thinking she was chubby but by the end of the book she realized she wasn't big at all. (Plus it didn't hurt when her mother stopped overfeeding her.)

        What didn't work for me:    

       Having characters named Wendy and Wanda within a breath of each other had me confused at times. (That'll teach me not to speed read!)

Overall:

       This really cute read for Middle Graders and Jr. High Schoolers provides an interesting way to get a look into the inner workings of journalism.  It also presents an opening for discussions on civics, ethics, and other tough topics with teachers and parents.   0  

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