âA superbly entertaining read.â âKirkus Reviews (starred review)
âWill win over teens.â âSchool Library Journal (starred review)
A teen boyâs world gets turned upside-down when a zoo of exotic animals takes over his small town in this wickedly funny, heartbreakingly honest novel thatâs perfect for fans of David Arnold.
In Makersville, Indiana, people know all about Ronneyâheâs from that mixed-race family with the dad who tried to kill himself, the pill-popping mom, and the genius kid sister. If having a family like that wasnât bad enough, the local eccentric at the edge of town decided one night to open up all the cages of his exotic zooâlions, cheetahs, tigersâand then shoot himself dead. Go figure. Even more proof that you canât trust adults to do the right thing.
Overnight, news crews, gun control supporters, and gun rights advocates descend on Makersville, bringing around-the-clock news coverage, rallies, and anti-rallies with them. With his parents checked out, Ronney is left tending to his sisterâs mounting fears of roaming lions, stopping his best friend from going on a suburban safari, and shaking loose a lonely boy who follows Ronney wherever he goes. Can Ronney figure out a way to hold it together as all his worlds fall apart?
From acclaimed author Crystal Chan comes an incisive tale of love, loyalty, and the great leaps we take to protect the people and places we love most.