Resnick, Jacqueline and Illustrated by Cook, Matthew The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie 308 pgs. Razorbill, 2012. $12.75. Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
Four adorable animals live in an idyllic life on a farm. Smalls the sunbear and his wombat, rabbit, and dog friends are then taken away to a horrible traveling circus. Claude Magnificence and his assistants are incredibly mean and cruel. Not only to the animals but to a little boy named Bertie and a little girl named Susan, who both work there. Can the animals and the children team up and escape?
I really dislike reading about animals and children being trapped in abusive situations. The majority of this long book takes place at the awful circus, so there is a lot of sadness. Maybe it’s so hard to read because the characters are well developed and the artwork is fantastic, creating characters that feel real. The themes of bravery, friendship, and moving on –are with merit. I certainly think students will be drawn to the wonderful cover art.
ELEMENTARY –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
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