Danger at the Zoo: A Kit Mystery (American Girl Mysteries) - Softcover

Ernst, Kathleen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 158485989X ISBN 13: 9781584859895

Publisher: American Girl, 2005

Synopsis

Kit lands a summer job writing a children's column for her local newspaper. She decides to look for story ideas at the Cincinnati Zoo, where her friend Stirling works as a guide and her old friend Will, the hobo, has a job cleaning cages. As Kit noses around the zoo, she stumbles into some strange doings in the monkey house. Her reporter's instincts tell her that she's onto something worth investigating--and she's determined to get the story.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5–This book is for readers who have gone through the "American Girl" series and are moving up to slightly longer stories. Sixth-grader Kit is a child of the Great Depression, and her family takes in boarders to help make ends meet. Kit gets an assignment at the local newspaper to write "fun, wholesome" stories and decides to focus on a friend's volunteer work as a zoo tour guide. Another friend, Will, is back from some hard times on the road and gets a job at the zoo. When the monkey house doors are found unlocked and food is missing from the boarding house, Will is blamed. In the end, Kit gets her story, saves Will's job, and thwarts the real criminals in the nick of time. The book concludes with factual information about the Cincinnati Zoo. The action is moderately paced, and there is ample description to bring the story to life. While Ernst does a fairly good job setting out the trail with Kit picking up the clues, the novel is unlikely to be a first choice among mystery fans. However, those who love "American Girl" will be clamoring for it.–Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL
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About this edition

• Publisher: American Girl
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 158485989X
• ISBN 13: 9781584859895
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192
• Illustrator: Tibbles Jean Paul