Don't Feed the Boy
by Irene Latham; illus. by Stephanie Graegin
288 pages, ages 8 and up
Roaring Brook Press 2012
No one knows more about the Meadowbrook Zoo than Whit. That’s
because his mother’s the zoo director, his father is the head elephant keeper
and, for the past eleven years, Whit has eaten, slept and completed all his
homeschooling lessons at the zoo. Until today, begins Irene Latham, “… he’d
never disobeyed the three basic rules his parents had set for him.”
Because now, Whit has discovered the Bird Girl. She comes
every day with her sketchbook and draws the toucans, ostriches – even pigeons
pecking crumbs beneath the picnic tables. Who is this Bird Girl? And why does
she come by herself to the zoo?
Whit takes Stella, the Bird Girl on a behind-the-scenes tour
of the zoo. She shows him how to sneak across the highway to where she lives.
And suddenly, what seems like a simple friendship turns complex when Stella
asks Whit to help her run away from her abusive father.
Wow! Sounds like a complex type of book that really gets the reader thinking.
ReplyDeleteYup, but at a level kids can understand.
DeleteHi Sue - thanks so much for your review of DON'T FEED THE BOY. And best of luck to you in your own writing!
ReplyDeletethanks for dropping by, Irene. Can't wait to see what you're cooking up for us next...
DeleteWow- this sounds like a book with a lot of depth. I am definitely curious about it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete~Jess