My Thoughts On… Bigfoot, Tobin and Me

My Thoughts on… Bigfoot, Tobin and Me

Despite being named after her mum’s favourite saying, there isn’t much for Lemonade Witt to look forward to since her mother died – especially now she has moved to the wilds of Willow Creek.

Here, she meets an annoying boy called Tobin who, as head of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., is obsessed with finding the legendary beast. Reluctantly, she joins him in search of the elusive creature – but what they find instead is even better…

Five Favourite Things about Bigfoot, Tobin and Me

Tobin & Lemonade

Definitely the first thing that needs to be mentioned in this review are Tobin and Lemonade, our main protagonists. While Lemonade had moments in the book that I disliked, she definitely came around by the end of the book and I found myself feeling for her quite a bit. I thought she was a lovely character who is just struggling to come to terms with something horrific and trying to find herself all at the same time. Tobin on the other hand was just a very cute character. A geek for sure but he’s so sure of himself too. He doesn’t let the bullies get him down too much and continues to be a Bigfoot scientist, one hundred percent convinced that he will be the one to make the big discovery. It was absolutely great to read about such a passionate and nerdy character!

The Adults

One thing I absolutely love about MG (and YA) fiction is when the adults in the book are really shown with love and happiness and are just brilliant role models. This is one thing that this book does extremely well. First you have the absolutely wonderful Mrs Dickerson. She may well be my favourite character of the entire book. She’s just so friendly, caring and lovely to Tobin and Lemonade. An adult that you can really trust and care for. She made them both feel really special and loved when others didn’t. Then you have George. At first he seems quiet and a bit distant but soon you get to see how caring and wonderful he really is – including buying Lemonade the twinkies she comments on wanting. It’s the small things to start with and then it’s the big things. George is yet another trustworthy and reliable adult too. Lastly there was Tobin’s mum. While she doesn’t have as big a role in the book as she’s always at work – a nurse! – when she does appear in the book she is also really friendly and trustworthy. I was seriously in love with how many wonderful adults there was in this book!

Adventures

The one thing that this book is full of is adventure. It was a little slow at times but otherwise it was interesting where Lemonade and Tobin were searching for the Bigfoot. Clues were set out and interesting things happened and it was just so fascinating to read about. It’s not the same as some other adventure MG books and this book is definitely more character heavy than adventure heavy but I thought it was actually the perfect balance. The adventures they took led them to understand more about each other and their own selves too. Just as all good adventures should!

Family & Friendships

A strong theme running throughout this book looks at family and friendship and how they have ups and downs but also how they can make us stronger. I loved that Lemonade and Tobin don’t click instantly but by the end of it they’re almost inseparable. I also absolutely loved the relationship between Lemonade and George. Everyone has things that they’re struggling with internally and this book really looks at how we can all help each other but also how things can fall apart but that doesn’t mean it’s the end. It delivers this in such an emotional and touching way and I have to admit to crying quite a lot towards the end of the book.

Hope

Lastly, but certainly not least, my favourite thing about this book was the hope that it leaves in your heart. At the start of the book all of the characters are lost for different reasons but by the end of the book, with the help of each other and some interesting adventures and discoveries, they all find themselves and more than they bargained for too. They find hope and it fills you with so much hope for life too. Sometimes it can be hard and horrid and feel dark and grey but that doesn’t mean that it will forever stay that way. Grief is difficult and not easy to deal with but it’s not the end either. This literally made the book that much better for me.

** I received this copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. **