The Midnight Zoo

By Author / Illustrator

Sonya Hartnett, Andrea Offermann

Genre

Real life

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781406329384

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-01-2014

Synopsis

A brilliantly told magical story that questions what it means to be free.World War II, Eastern Europe: Tomas and his younger brother, Andrej, have fled their Romany encampment which has been besieged by the Germans; they carry Wilma, their baby sister, in a sack. In an abandoned, bombed-out town, the children discover a zoo. In it are a wolf and an eagle, a monkey, bear, lioness, seal, chamois and llama. The animals tell their stories to the children as they try to begin to understand what has become of their lives and, when they try to figure out a way to release the animals, what it means to be free.

Reviews

From the opening paragraphs it is clear that this book is written with a subtle beauty that takes the breath away, this is most definitely a book for teens but Hartnett proves that just because a book is for younger readers the quality of the prose does not need to suffer. What is more is that this is a book that relies upon the quality of ideas discussed and pondered by the children over the course of a single night, very little action actually takes place, and the book is totally engaging because of this. In this book Sonya Hartnett weaves an absorbing tale that will delight and entertain younger readers by telling the beguiling tale of a family of children alone in the world with nowhere to go except toward the horizon. Not all teens will accept this book as it doesnt provide the immediate kick of a Twilight or Cherub style novel but actually the thrill of growing with the children outstrips this and leaves an imprint on the reader that will last for a long time. Essential reading.