Book Review
Cavern of Babel

Buttersby had everything going for her. She was a champion with credentials, which automatically made her the leader of the barn. Since Buttersby is an alpaca, being the leader of the barn was important. Of course, being a champion with extraordinary fibers also made her prideful. She was beyond proud of her championship status and looked down on others, often (well, always) treating them very badly.

Everything changes when she is temporarily moved to a new barn on the farm, surrounded by other types of animals who don't seem impressed by her credentials and who keep confusing her with llamas, who as any good alpaca knows, are only useful as guards for the alpacas. And then, to make it worse, she is alpaca-napped and taken to Peru. Her fellow kidnap victim, Meander, is also an alpaca, but of, Buttersby thinks, an inferior species. She is certain he is stupid and beneath her attention. Furthermore, she's baffled by his refusal to get hysterical over things he can't control.

This strange new ranch in Peru seems to have no humans. The animals make the rules and run things as they choose, and the method they choose is a caste system. Buttersby quickly goes from being queen of the barn to being the lowest of lows, forced to clean up after others and follow orders. She is entirely miserable and disliked, while her companion, Meander, quickly earns the friendship of those around him. Buttersby can't understand why an inferior creature is so much more popular than she. In spite of Buttersby's continued rudeness to Meander, he takes it upon himself to protect her and help her adjust.

One day, Buttersby learns that she has been chosen for a frightening responsibility. Will her pride and her judgemental ways stand between her and success, or will she rise above the challenges, sacrifice her pride, and become the person she was called to be?

This is a charming book that will appeal to upper elementary school aged children. The book was written to teach about alpacas, a surprisingly cute animal (who knew?), but the book reads like a true fantasy novel, not like a textbook. There are snippets of alpaca facts before each chapter, and other bits of information are tucked naturally into the story. Buttersby is a realistically portrayed champion and her personal growth is believably drawn out. Meander risks stealing the show with his laid-back personality and determined kindness to someone who is unkind to him. A delightful touch is added by a prophetic mouse who pops up with mysterious messages, but who avoids stereotype by following them up with humerous complaints.

*Review by Terrie Lynn Bittner , author of Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath - You Can Do This! and the forthcoming Home a Little Longer: Preschool and Kindergarten at Home. She is the training manager for BellaOnline.com and on the board of directors for latterdayauthors.com. Terrie writes a weekly column on religious education.