Don't Feed the Boy
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
No kid knows more about zoo life than Whit. That's because he sleeps, eats and even attends home-school at the Meadowbrook Zoo. It's one of the perks of having a mother who's the zoo director and a father who's the head elephant keeper. Now that he's eleven, Whit feels trapped by the rules and routine of zoo life. With so many exotic animals, it's easy to get overlooked. But when Whit notices a mysterious girl who visits every day to draw the birds, suddenly the zoo becomes much more interesting. Who is the Bird Girl? And why does she come by herself to the zoo?
Determined to gain her trust, Whit takes the Bird Girl on his own personal tour of the zoo. He shows her his favorite animals and what happens with them behind the scenes. For Whit, having a friend his own age that he can talk to is an exciting new experience. For Stella the Bird Girl, the zoo and Whit are a necessary escape from her chaotic home life. Together they take risks in order to determine where it is they each belong. But when Stella asks Whit for an important and potentially dangerous favor, Whit discovers how complicated friendship and freedom-- can be.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Living at the zoo sounds pretty sweet, but 11-year-old Whit has soured on the experience, having spent his whole life at the Meadowbrook Zoo in Alabama, which is run by his busy and distracted parents. Both Whit's parents and his homeschool teacher, Ms. Connie, have taught him a great deal about exotic animals, though he'd rather be surrounded by a more ordinary species: other kids. When Whit notices a girl who visits the zoo each day to sketch the birds, he sets his heart on getting to know the "Bird Girl" and finally making a friend his own age. Unfortunately, being a good friend to "Bird Girl," whose actual name is Stella and who has troubles at home, involves taking dangerous risks and breaking rules that test Whit's courage and his parents' trust. The unusual setting and the characters' tricky family dynamics add tension and zest to Latham's (Leaving Gee's Bend) empathetic friendship tale, as do Graegin's pencil drawings, which portray the story's upsetting and uplifting moments with gentleness. Readers won't soon forget Whit and Stella's adventures. Ages 8 12.
