It's a good book!
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
If it weren't for Savannah's capuchin monkey, Cleopatra, being stolen, none of this would have happened. But Cleo was stolen, and it did!
Griffin and his friends (if you've read SWINDLE by Mr. Korman, these are the same kids that managed to pull off the baseball card caper) are on a class field trip to the traveling exhibit All Aboard Animals. An old paddleboat has been converted into a traveling zoo. The kids are grossed out by the stench of the animals, and when Savannah finds Cleo in a cage marked Eleanor, she is absolutely livid. She demands her monkey back, but the zookeeper, Mr. Nastase, insists he bought her legally and has a bill of sale to prove it.
The kids, grumbling, leave the floating zoo, but Savannah is determined to get Cleo back. It's Griffin who comes up with the idea: Zoobreak. He assembles a team of friends, each with a specific job, and comes up with the plan.
The kids successfully (though with some hiccups in the execution) retrieve Cleo, along with all the other animals in the exhibit. If they had left the other animals, they'd have been home free. But Savannah can't stand the thought of leaving the rest of the animals in such squalid conditions.
Trying to conceal such exotic animals as a meerkat, loon, beaver and more create havoc in the kids' lives. They realize they have to get rid of the animals before they are found out. Their only option is to break the animals INTO another zoo.
If you think this is as crazy as it sounds, it is! The adventures Griffin and his friends get into are hysterical. The fact that the plans actually work are astounding. But of course, there are obstacles along the way, and it's navigating the obstacles that are the most fun.
This is the first story I've read by Mr. Korman, and after enjoying ZOOBREAK so much, I know I'll read more.
If it weren't for Savannah's capuchin monkey, Cleopatra, being stolen, none of this would have happened. But Cleo was stolen, and it did!
Griffin and his friends (if you've read SWINDLE by Mr. Korman, these are the same kids that managed to pull off the baseball card caper) are on a class field trip to the traveling exhibit All Aboard Animals. An old paddleboat has been converted into a traveling zoo. The kids are grossed out by the stench of the animals, and when Savannah finds Cleo in a cage marked Eleanor, she is absolutely livid. She demands her monkey back, but the zookeeper, Mr. Nastase, insists he bought her legally and has a bill of sale to prove it.
The kids, grumbling, leave the floating zoo, but Savannah is determined to get Cleo back. It's Griffin who comes up with the idea: Zoobreak. He assembles a team of friends, each with a specific job, and comes up with the plan.
The kids successfully (though with some hiccups in the execution) retrieve Cleo, along with all the other animals in the exhibit. If they had left the other animals, they'd have been home free. But Savannah can't stand the thought of leaving the rest of the animals in such squalid conditions.
Trying to conceal such exotic animals as a meerkat, loon, beaver and more create havoc in the kids' lives. They realize they have to get rid of the animals before they are found out. Their only option is to break the animals INTO another zoo.
If you think this is as crazy as it sounds, it is! The adventures Griffin and his friends get into are hysterical. The fact that the plans actually work are astounding. But of course, there are obstacles along the way, and it's navigating the obstacles that are the most fun.
This is the first story I've read by Mr. Korman, and after enjoying ZOOBREAK so much, I know I'll read more.
