Monday, March 12, 2007

Kichi in Jungle Jeopardy by Lila Guzman

Kichi in Jungle Jeopardy, by Lila Guzmán, takes place in Chilaam, an ancient temple, where Kichi, a rare blue Chihuahua, is pampered by Fortune Teller and everyone else in the Mayan City. Kichi is so happy in Chilaam, he does not know what he is in for! One day, Ah Tok, Fortune Teller’s brother, comes back from a raid with a slave named Uxmal. Kichi is delighted to see that Uxmal can speak Dog. After so many years of trying to get Fortune Teller to understand his language, he almost gave up on having anyone to talk to! Kichi takes a liking to Uxmal, and they meet every day. Until . . . an army attacks Chilaam and kidnaps Uxmal. Kichi sets out into the jungle, a scary place for such a small dog. Kichi has adventure after adventure, eventually learning a big surprise about Uxmal that turns out to be very important for Kichi and the future of his friends.

This story was great. It was exciting around the edges and mild in the middle. My favorite part was when Uxmal was captured and Kichi is sent on his journey into the jungle. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes talking animals who behave like people, and slight wars (without too much violence). The theme of this book, in a sense, was friendship, and sticking by a friend in a difficult situation. Also, I learned some of what it is like to have a really good friend. I really enjoyed this book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA