The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle

★ “This one delights and uplifts.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Resilience forms the backbone of this heartening new collaboration between Montgomery and Patterson. [An] uplifting tale.” — Publishers Weekly”The incredible story of Fire Chief is captivating…Young readers will be fascinated by the real-life resilience of this turtle and inspired by the people who helped him survive.” — Booklist”Human habitat encroachment causes Fire Chief’s problem, but human concern and persistence find a solution for him. Told with a storyteller’s cadence.” — Horn Book Magazine”A remarkable story.” — Washington Post

National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery has scuba-dived with sharks, cuddled with octopuses, slept next to a mother hippo and her baby, and been undressed by a wild orangutan. To inform her articles, films, scripts, and 33 books, she and artist Matt Patterson helped rescue cold-stunned sea turtles on Cape Cod, raised baby painted turtles for release into the wild, and provided physical therapy for an injured, 42-pound wild snapping turtle named Fire Chief. They still regularly patrol a nesting site for native New England turtles against predators and volunteer at Turtle Rescue League in southern Massachusetts.