The Midnight Zoo

by Sonya Hartnett, Andrea Offermann (Illustrator)

Overview

“A haunting portrait of families, human and otherwise, torn apart. . . . Hartnett combines powerful prose with magical realism.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

When the Germans attack their Romany encampment during World War II, Andrej and his younger brother, Tomas, flee through a ravaged countryside under cover of darkness, guarding a secret bundle. Their journey leads to a bombed-out town, where the boys discover a hidden wonder: a zoo filled with creatures in need of hope. Like Andrej and Tomas, the animals — wolf and eagle, monkey and bear, lioness and seal, kangaroo and llama — have stories to share and a mission to reclaim their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763664626
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	633,435
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Sonya Hartnett is an internationally acclaimed author of many award-winning novels, including THURSDAY’S CHILD, WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, STRIPES OF THE SIDESTEP WOLD, THE SILVER DONKEY, THE GHOST’s CHILD, BUTTERFLY, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book SURRENDER. She was the winner of the 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest award for lifetime achievement in children’s and youth literature. Sonya Hartnett lives in Australia.

Andrea Dezsö is a visual artistwho works across a broad range of media including drawing, cutpaper, embroidery, sculpture,installation, animation, and large-scale murals. She is Assistant Professor of Art at Hampshire College in Amherst, MAand lives in Amherst and New York City.

Editorial Reviews

This somber yet not hopeless fable set during WWII offers a haunting portrait of families, human and otherwise, torn apart...Lindgren Award-winner Hartnett combines powerful prose with magical realism to heighten this setting and develop the personalities of the animals that the boys meet, who begin to speak after another round of bombing.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This beautiful and sad book will stay with readers long after the story is done.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This somber yet not hopeless fable set during WWII offers a haunting portrait of families, human and otherwise, torn apart. Two Romany boys, 12-year-old Andrej and nine-year-old Tomas, flee with their infant sister after German soldiers arrest their relatives, discovering a bombed-out town with an intact zoo. Lindgren Award–winner Hartnett (Butterfly) combines powerful prose with magical realism to heighten this setting and develop the personalities of the animals that the boys meet, who begin to speak after another round of bombing. The group—including a silent eagle, a mischievous monkey, a lioness whose family has been taking from her, and a seal stolen from its mother as a pup—spend a charged night sharing stories. Offermann’s (The Boneshaker) delicate b&w drawings introduce each chapter. Hartnett doesn’t minimize the horrors the boys have seen, making a profound case for the futility of war while exploring questions about responsibility and freedom. “You are a mysterious animal, you know,” the bear tells the brothers. “A bear does what a bear must do to keep itself alive. But a man does many things that he has no need to do.” Ages 10–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Two gypsy children who are trying to outrun a war find themselves seeking sanctuary in an abandoned zoo in a city that has been destroyed in battle. Richard Aspel captures the fear and uncertainty of the children on their own while not allowing these emotions to detract from the magical aspects of the story. And when the animals in the zoo begin talking to the children, Aspel’s talent especially shines, his versatile voice capturing the personality of each animal, particularly the strong, proud lioness. He brings them to life in his deep, slightly gravelly voice as they tell their stories. Their unique pitches and accents allow the listener to immediately identify each character, even as the lines of reality begin to blur. E.N. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2010 - AudioFile