Diane Haynes,
Crow Medicine (Jane Ray's Wildlife Rescue Series)
Whitecap Books, 2007

Ages 14+

In the second book in the Jane Ray's Wild Life Rescue Series, author and animal welfare activist Diane Haynes once again draws from her experience volunteering at the Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia to offer another highly engaging environmental tale for young adults.

Jane Ray, the book's 17-year-old heroine, and her two childhood friends, Flory and Amy, are clever beyond their years. While Jane fights for animal justice, Amy conducts science experiments in her home lab and Flory, a researcher by nature, keeps her sundry files organized and at her finger tips. Although their talents sometimes get each of them into trouble, their differing interests complement one another and prove very handy when things get hard at Jane's until-then perfect summer job.

Jane's particular fondness for crows is put to the test when they suddenly begin dying, indicating the presence of West Nile virus in the area. Although crows can't themselves transmit the disease, they are messengers of an epidemic threat among human beings. Irrationally fearful of the crows, many people want to have them all eliminated. The staff at the wildlife rescue center where Jane volunteers is forced to take a tough stand, causing a media frenzy that itself puts all their lives in danger. But Jane doesn't shy away from the tangle she finds herself in. In her quest for animal justice and the elusive "crow medicine", she deals with raging protestors and corrupt City Hall politicians in a string of feats inspired by her knowledge and gut feeling as well as that of her friends.

The book, which includes a list of resources, volunteer opportunities and animal rescue tips, will stimulate considerable debate about animal "rights... and wrongs" (the title of one of its chapters) and, for those interested in getting deeper into things, the challenges of eco-social sustainability. But love and typical teen-related confusion are also in the mix.

By the end of the book, thinking about the crows, Jane wonders: "How much time do we have while the small ones still sing, to hear, to learn, to interpret, to act — before the messengers themselves disappear?"

Jane Ray's world is one that invites adolescents in. And one that needs them all, hands-on.

Aline Pereira
March 2007