The Secret Zoo

June 21, 2010
Chick debuts with an action-packed and breathless story about teamwork, first published in 2007 by the author's Second Wish Press. When Noah's sister, Megan, disappears, he and his friends Ella and Richie come across Megan's notes and journal entries, which lead them to the Clarksville City Zoo. When the trio is separated, the action intensifies as readers follow their separate paths through the zoo's exhibits, which disguise a secret land in which animals and humans coexist blissfully ("They'd entered a city that seemed to have been built by the most potent pieces of a hundred imaginations)". With the help of new friends that include Podgy the penguin and Blizzard the polar bear, the group tunnels through this maze, encountering some less-friendly creatures and shifty security guards who insist that "the fate of the world depended on keeping the secrets of the zoo safe." While the writing is not as complex or magical as the premise, the story should appeal both to animal-lovers and a broader audience. While many threads are resolved, Chick lays the groundwork for later books. Ages 9–12.

December 15, 2010
The four intrepid heroes of The Secret Zoo (2010) return for another adventure in this new animal-packed fantasy series. Having discovered that their local zoo is a kind of front for a magical world in which animals and people coexist in harmony, Noah, Ella, Richie and Megan are tapped to become Crossers--people who go between The Secret Zoo and the world outside. Their acceptance triggers the ire of a group of odd-looking teens called the Descenders, who clearly blame the foursome for the escape of the murderous Sasquatches yet are charged with their training. Chick wallows in exposition, spending an inordinate amount of time discussing the past and showing how one travels in and out of the zoo and too little time exploring the mystery of the Descenders and the evil Sasquatches. While the tension between the preteen protagonists and the teens is both tangible and interesting, this installment feels more like novel-length worldbuilding than a story in itself. (Fantasy. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011
In their second Secret Zoo adventure, Noah, Ella, Megan, and Richie return to the hidden world beneath the public zoo. They begin their training as "Crossers," starting to learn how to protect and better understand the secret land. Emphasis on introducing new characters and details about the fantasy world leave the book light on action until an exciting ending.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 1, 2011

Gr 4-7-Noah, Megan, Ella, and Richie are called into service again to help Mr. Darby, the leader of the Secret Society, and other members of the Secret Zoo. He asks the scouts to help him round up some wayward sasquatches, promising that they will only be in the Secret Zoo for two hours, so the four friends reluctantly agree to return. It has been only two weeks since they were there to rescue Megan in The Secret Zoo (Second Wish, 2007). They arrive through a rather bumpy route-tire swings that drop hundreds and hundreds of feet underground. This is only the beginning of their zany adventures. It's quite obvious that the teenagers who are sent to escort them into the library of the Secret Society do not like them. The head teen informs them that they are to remain in the Secret Zoo for a year. This is a world in which humans and animals coexist peacefully, and the library is unlike anything they have ever experienced. Even though there are books and a librarian, the patrons are predominately animals. The library is also designed with waterfalls, trees, greenery, and many floors. The four friends are well developed characters, and readers will identify with the great bond they have and relate to their anxiety, curiosity, and just plan chutzpah. Descriptions are delightful, and children will envy the close relationships that the scouts have with the animals in the Secret Zoo. Fans of fantasy, animal fiction, and adventure will enjoy this fast-moving story.-Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.