The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a 
coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.
It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.
Until it isn’t.
When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.
Although I’m not usually a big reader of YA contemporary, after reading the blurb for Mammoth, there’s no way I could pass it up. I’m kind of a dino nerd – given, there aren’t dinosaurs in this book, but it was close enough for me.
Let me say up front – if you have daughters or know girls who are interested in STEM, steer them toward this book. It strongly encourages girls to display their intelligence front and center, pursue their goals, and be themselves. After they read it, encourage them to make better choices than Natalie. She makes one bad decision after another and frustrated me – but she’s such a relatable, personable protagonist that I forgave her. In her defense, she has good intentions, and also owns up to everything. Nat’s character arc is incredible, and she’ll charm you from the first page.
Mammoth also contains some standard tropes that are difficult to get away from in YA – a love triangle, a rich, mean girl, and an awesome guy who maybe really isn’t, but all the supporting characters are well-written.
If you’re looking for a fresh, highly enjoyable read that also tackles some very relevant issues, Mammoth easily fills those requirements.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Books and Such 
I love that this book encourages STEM. That’s probably enough to overlook other shortfalls. Thanks for sharing.
FYI, I’m a dino-nerd, too.
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I started with Jurassic park, then when my oldest son was around 4 or 5, he was all about dinosaurs and we read sooo many books on them. Think I loved them as much as he did.
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Is it possible to NOT like Jurassic Park?
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Exactly.
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Haha! I was all, “Yay! STEM! Steer them toward this book.” Then… “After they read it, encourage them to make better choices than Natalie.” That made me laugh so hard. Anyway, will check it out. Thanks, Teri. 🙂
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Natalie was intelligent and goal-oriented, but occasionally got herself into situations before she’d really thought them through – but her heart was always in the right place. This was such a fun book, Sarah – hope you enjoy it!
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This book sounds like it has some great morale to instill in young females! I defintitely like the sound of that!!
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And it was such a fun book, Nicole – Natalie was wonderful.
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This sounds like a good book, just looked it up on Amazon, ouch! Pricey £11.59 / $14.89 just for a kindle copy.
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That’s high for a Kindle copy! On Amazon US it’s $10.44.
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Okay, I’m the dummy. What does STEM mean? I’m assuming self-worth is part of it? This sounds like an interesting read. One of my favorite coming of age books ever was Are You There, God? It’s My, Margaret by Judy Blume. Powerful writing that holds up even now.
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Not at all, Jacquie! I’d never really heard of it until one of my sons was looking into an engineering major. It’s an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. I read recently that Judy Blume book was being made into a movie – have you heard anything about it?
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No, but I’d love to see it! Thanks, I’ll keep STEM in mind now 😊
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This one is on my TBR Teri !
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It was such a delightful read, Sophie – hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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This one has intrigued me from the start. Even with standard tropes, characters often add a fresh spin. Sounds like an enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing your review. I’ve been waiting for it 😉
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This MC definitely added a fresh spin – she was so delightful and funny, that I overlooked the tropes.
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