Written over a decade ago, The Menagerie still has the magic. This is spot-on middle grade fantasy from Tui T. Sutherland, best-selling author of the Wings of Fire Series, and her sister, Kari Sutherland. Excellent writing, strong dialogue, good pacing, and a trio of likeable characters all combine to jumpstart a three-book series. And, of course, there are the mythical animals: griffins, dragons, unicorns, kelpies, and merfolk are just the beginning. Young readers will be hooked by Zoe and Logan and their quest to take care of impossible and amazing creatures. This isn’t the first book–and it won’t be the last–to weave a narrative around the guardianship and preservation of mythical creatures, but it does do a fabulous job of capturing the wonder and the joy of this concept.
Be warned that this book ends with an out-of-the-blue cliff-hanger, so be sure to have the other two books on hand for immediate literary consumption.
Review of the unabridged audiobook
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 3 religious exclamations.
Violence/Gore: Minor scrapes and cuts; characters are chased; destruction of property by creatures; mythical creature attempts to kill a human; animal shot with tranquilizer darts; report that an agency will put down animals and a prior situation where this occurred is briefly discussed; mythical creature is killed and there is a mention of blood, no description.
Sex/Nudity: Girl has a crush on a boy and this is mentioned a couple of times; boy puts arm around a girl to distract someone else; reference to an older sibling’s ex-boyfriend.
Mature Subject Matter:
Parental abandonment of family.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Tranquilizer darts used on animal.
