The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery

The Hyena Scientist takes readers on safari to observe a misunderstood species.  Ages 8-14

The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery, photography by Nic Bishop.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018, 71 pages including index.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 8-14

Hyenas get a bad rap as vicious scavengers, grave-robbers, and cowardly thieves.  Most children know them as the skulking trio headed by Whoopi Goldberg in The Lion King.  Kay Holecamp has spent years observing, analyzing, tracking, and probing hyenas, and she can assure young readers that none of that scuzzy reputation is true.  For most of the year, she’s a professor at Michigan State University, but every summer she’s in the Masai Mara territory of Western Kenya studying the animals she’s come to love.  Hyenas, we quickly learn, are the only mammalian species in which females are dominant: bigger, fiercer, and smarter.  The animals’ social intelligence is remarkable and their memory for human faces unsurpassed.  Far from mere scavengers, after lions hyenas are the most prolific hunters on the African plain.  Even their famous “laughter” is misunderstood, for hyenas possess a wide range of articulation that humans are only beginning to penetrate.

In this latest volume of the “Scientists in the Field” series, author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop share all the burdens and joys of Professor Holecamp and her team—eating what they eat, showering where they shower (a seven-step process), sleeping where they sleep, and following the same daily routine of observation and data gathering.  In between, they’re avoiding deadly snakes and cleaning up after floods.  We gave high praise to the author’s Amazon Adventure last year.  Like that book, this one sticks to the subject, doesn’t delve into political ideology, and makes few references to evolution.  Kids who are considering a career in science, particularly field research, should devour these books.

Cautions: Worldview (one brief mention of Kay Holecamp marrying her best friend, another woman)

Overall rating: 3.75 (out of 5)

  • Worldview/moral value: 3.5
  • Artistic value: 4.25

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

FREE Bible Guide!

Get a guide to the Best Bibles for Children and Teens. Perfect for an Easter gift.

Janie Cheaney

Janie is the VERY senior staff writer for Redeemed Reader, as well as a long-time contributor to WORLD Magazine and an author of nine books for children. The rest of the time she's long-distance smooching on her four grandchildren (not an easy task). She lives with her equally senior husband of almost-fifty years in the Ozarks of Missouri.

We'd love to hear from you!

Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!

Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.