The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie
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- £4.49
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- £4.49
Publisher Description
Four animals must find their ticket out of the circus.
Smalls the sun bear, Tilda the Angora rabbit, Rigby the Komondor dog, and Wombat the wombat are the four animals that make up "the misfit menagerie."
Together they’ve always lived a happy life on Mr. Mumford’s farm. That is, until one fateful evening when Mumford, loopy from elderberry wine, accidentally loses them to the dastardly circus owner Grande Master Claude. Suddenly, these animals are forced to perform death-defying tricks and live in filthy, cramped cages as members of Claude’s traveling circus. But all hope is not lost! Claude’s nephew Bertie and his friend Susan, a circus acrobat, are equally fed up with Claude’s evil ways, and together they might just have what it takes to find their ticket out of the circus.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Resnick's warmhearted debut features a cocoa-loving villain, a kind but lonely orphan boy, and a bevy of talking animals (who cannot be understood by humans) that lives happily together as the star attractions of Mumford's Farm & Orchard. While the title is misleading (the "daring escape" doesn't occur until the last few chapters), the book is filled with secret plots, adventures, and acts of bravery and loyalty as well as dastardly deeds. Resnick's third-person narration peeks inside the heads of several characters, both human and animal, including the gentle bear Smalls, de facto leader of the "misfit menagerie" that suddenly becomes part of a cruelly managed circus, and 10-year-old Bertie, the orphan, whose heartless uncle is its owner. Stopping just short of slapstick and caricature, Resnick sets a lively pace and draws tender characterizations (the animals each bear a distinctive, lovable personality), creating a spirited tale that cleanly separates the good guys from the bad without getting too dark or frightening. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12.
