Riddles and Danger (The Secret Zoo Series #3)

by Bryan Chick

Overview

Book three in this fast-paced and exciting series for middle grade fantasy, mystery, and animal buffs.

Noah, Megan, Richie, and Ella are the Action Scouts; friends whose tree house overlooks the Clarksville City Zoo. When they discover a magical world hidden within the zoo, they are swept away on an adventure in which penguins can fly, a mysterious figure lurks in the shadows, and the scouts are enlisted to help Mr. Darby, who is in charge of the Secret Zoo.

But will the scouts be able to fight against the dangerous sasquatches who have escaped the zoo and threaten their town? There’s only one way to find out if the four friends training as Crossers can help save the Secret Zoo.

The author originally had the idea for The Secret Zoo when he was nine and wondered what would happen if zoo exhibits had secret doors that allowed kids to go inside—and the animals to come outside. He brings that sense of adventure and excitement to this story, making it a favorite for home and classroom reading along with such middle grade fantasy favorites as The One and Only Ivan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061989285
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/26/2012
Series:	Secret Zoo Series , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	92,552
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Bryan Chick is the author of the Secret Zoo series. He originally had the idea for the series when he was a nine-year-old and wondered what would happen if zoo exhibits had secret doors that allowed children to go inside . . . and the animals to come outside. Bryan Chick lives with his wife and four children in Clarkston, Michigan.

Editorial Reviews

In the third installment of this fantasy series, the four Action Scouts, Richie, Ella, Noah and Megan, must band together to save both the magical world beneath the Clarksville Zoo and their own from the evil "Shadowist" DeGraff and his army of Sasquatches.

Together with the teenage "Descenders" and a team of amazing animals, the Scouts go further into the world of the Secret Zoo than ever before, moving from portal to portal through the Grottoes in a desperate attempt to keep the Shadowist from infiltrating the Secret Zoo and creating an army of creatures to "storm the Earth." While the plot has page-turner potential, the narrative gets mired down in description, costing the novel much of its sense of suspense. Chick dwells far too long on the history of the zoo and traveling through the intricate system of portals and far too little on developing characters and building a sense of urgency—two things that would go a long way toward keeping readers invested in the story.

While there may be enough interaction between the Scouts and zoo animals like Podgy the flying penguin and P-Dog the prairie dog to please animal lovers, readers looking for a fast-paced thrill will likely be disappointed.(Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews