The Midnight Zoo
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3.0 • 24 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Her muzzle wrinkled, and Andrej saw a glimpse of teeth and pale tongue. 'They smell the same, ' the lioness murmured. 'My cubs smelt as she does. Like pollen.' She breathed deeply again, and Andrej saw the missing cubs returning to her on the wings of the baby's perfume. 'All young ones must come from the same place,' she said: then sat down on her haunches, seemingly satisfied.
Under cover of darkness, two brothers cross a war-ravaged countryside carrying a secret bundle. One night they stumble across a deserted town reduced to smouldering ruins. But at the end of a blackened street they find a small green miracle: a zoo filled with animals in need of hope.
A moving and ageless fable about war, and freedom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This somber yet not hopeless fable set during WWII offers a haunting portrait of families, human and otherwise, torn apart. Two Romany boys, 12-year-old Andrej and nine-year-old Tomas, flee with their infant sister after German soldiers arrest their relatives, discovering a bombed-out town with an intact zoo. Lindgren Award winner Hartnett (Butterfly) combines powerful prose with magical realism to heighten this setting and develop the personalities of the animals that the boys meet, who begin to speak after another round of bombing. The group including a silent eagle, a mischievous monkey, a lioness whose family has been taking from her, and a seal stolen from its mother as a pup spend a charged night sharing stories. Offermann's (The Boneshaker) delicate b&w drawings introduce each chapter. Hartnett doesn't minimize the horrors the boys have seen, making a profound case for the futility of war while exploring questions about responsibility and freedom. "You are a mysterious animal, you know," the bear tells the brothers. "A bear does what a bear must do to keep itself alive. But a man does many things that he has no need to do." Ages 10 up.
Customer Reviews
It’s alright
Probably not really worth how much it cost, but it was an alright book, I suppose.
Hmmmm
The only thing I liked about it were the stories of the animals and that's it , it's takes a long time to get into any interesting parts , it lags in motivation and interest not the ideal book for someone looking for action , adventure
Very Boring
Terribly dull and boring, no action whatsoever. I do not recommend. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻