The Secret Zoo: Secrets and Shadows

Bryan Chick
Greenwillow Books (2011)
ISBN 9780061989254
Reviewed by Madeline McElroy (age 10) for Reader Views (10/11)


This book is about some scouts, but not any ordinary scouts. They have a zoo in their neighborhood, and inside that zoo, is the Secret Zoo! Only “special” people know about the Secret Zoo - like the zoo guards, zoo security, etc. Even the animals know! The Secret Zoo is bigger then the regular zoo and has many more animals and much more danger. There are some strange animals on the loose and they can make you look pretty bad.

One day while going to the zoo, one of the scouts, Noah, decides to get up early and leave before any other of the scouts. He wants to check out a place called, The Grottoes. The Grottoes is a beautiful place and they never get to go there because their trainers won’t let them, so he wanted to check it out. When he got to the zoo, he slipped through a curtain guarding The Grottoes and went inside. There were leaves, vines, flowers, and other curtains leading to different places. Noah got interested in one curtain that was hard to read but he thought it said “Water Ramp.” He was suddenly rushed through lots of water and landed in a big puddle of water.

He saw another curtain and dashed through it. He then saw a polar bear named Blizzard. But then he realized it was actually Blizzard’s female friend. She threw him onto her back and swam through the water. They then ended up in the penguin section. She jumped down in front of the penguins, and all the penguins ran away. Then Noah looked over; they were being watched. People who go into the Secret Zoo are crossers. He had now failed to be a crosser, because a crosser must not be spotted when crossing to the Secret Zoo. Noah knew he was in trouble.

Now the other scouts realized he was gone and got on their bikes and raced to the zoo to find him. They raced past the Grottoes, the Water Ramp, and then the penguin section. Then one girl named Megan saw it. There was Noah right there, riding on a polar bear. Find out what happens before and after!

I like this book because it has lots of action and it has no pictures. I love to imagine what the scenes look like. It is really fun to read and I love fantasy. Kids my age to probably 13 would like this book too. I would give “The Secret Zoo: Secrets and Shadows” ten stars if I could!

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