Review: The International Yeti Collective

I absolutely loved this heart-warming, action-packed adventure with its wonderful wisdom and messages around the strength to be gained from friendships and teamwork. 

Ella is spending her holidays with her famous Uncle Jack whilst he is on an expedition to find the elusive Himalayan yetis for his new TV show.  But surely yetis are just legendary creatures? Not at all!  That’s just what they want us to believe.  They are very much a collective of the most wonderful creatures living all over the world, with the best naming system EVER which I completely loved:  Tick (he with no time to waste); Plumm (she sweet on the outside with hard centre); and, Nagg (he who pesters) to name but a few!

Tick is a youngling yeti whose deep-set and completely understandable curiosity about humans gets the better of him, so he finds himself visiting Ella’s camp.  Unfortunately, his visit does not go unnoticed … and the whole yeti way of life is soon under threat!  Whilst Uncle Jack is determined to expose the existence of yetis to the world, kind-hearted Ella, who has an affinity with animals, begins to question his decision, and fears she may have put the yetis in danger … but is it already too late to help them?

Banished from his sett for breaking the ancient laws, Tick stumbles upon the knowledge that the humans are hunting them.  He must warn his sett of the danger they are in … and so begins a fantastic fast-paced adventure with Tick and his friends in a race against time to stop irrefutable evidence of their existence being exposed to the world. 

The journey is full of danger, risk, humour and incredible courage.  Existing friendships are deepened and new ones are formed along the way through the re-emergence of the International Yeti Collective as they must work together to save their way of life, a life very much tied to the preservation of nature.  I loved the themes of friendship and teamwork, and how the yetis are stronger united and working together than apart. I also adored the detailed description of the yeti world which I found completely fascinating from the fungusatory to the knowledge set down in the ancient slabs.

Tick is a wonderful character who seeks to redeem himself after inadvertently endangering the yeti way of life.  Despite his feelings of guilt, shame and fear, he is honest and brave enough to admit his mistakes, take responsibility for his actions and undergo incredible risks in his efforts to save the yetis from exposure to the human world.  He also has the strength to trust in Ella when the other yetis are sceptical that any human can be trusted. 

This is a wonderful, heart-warming story, perfect for readers of 8+ who I have no doubt will enjoy discovering more about the secret yeti communities hidden from us humans! 

Thank you to Stripes Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.