Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den - Hardcover

Carter, Aimée

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1619637049 ISBN 13: 9781619637047

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2016

Synopsis

A thrilling debut in the tradition of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull about a boy who discovers he's part of a secret race of animal shape shifters.

Twelve-year-old Simon Thorn's life has never been easy or normal, but things like being bullied at school and living in a cramped Manhattan apartment with his Uncle Darryl are nothing compared to his biggest secret: He can talk to animals.

But when his mom is suddenly kidnapped by a herd of rats, Simon finds out that he, his mom, and his uncle are all Animalgams--people born with the ability to change into an animal at will. In search of his mom, Simon discovers the Animalgam Academy based at the Central Park Zoo. There he learns about the fractured five kingdoms--Mammals, Birds, Insects, Reptiles, and Underwater--that make up this secret world . . . and realizes he may be the only one who can save it.

This action-packed page-turner is filled with themes of bravery, loyalty, and finding one-s true self, and is perfect for fans of the Spirit Animals and The School of Good and Evil series.

About this title

About the Author

Aimée Carter is a graduate of the University of Michigan and is the author of several young adult books, including The Goddess Test series and The Blackcoat Rebellion series.
www.aimeecarter.com

Reviews

Gr 5–8—Simon Thorn is starting seventh grade. He misses his mom, whom he sees maybe once a year; his Uncle Darryl restricts where he can go outside his New York apartment; and his only friend, besides Felix the mouse, has decided to side with the bully who makes Simon's life awful. And Simon can talk to animals—and they talk back. Soon mobs of rats start attacking him, his mother is captured, his uncle turns into a wolf, and he finds himself in the L.A.I.R., an academy for training Animalgams from each animal kingdom, under the Central Park Zoo. As if Simon's world hasn't been shifted enough, he discovers that he has a twin, Nolan, and that he himself will be able to shift into an animal form soon, just like all the other Animalgams. Simon feels betrayed and doesn't know whom to trust; his grandfather, Orion, King of the Birds, wants him captured, while his grandmother, Alpha of the L.A.I.R. and sworn enemy of Orion, wants him dead. Simon soon finds unlikely allies in a dolphin prince, Jam; a prickly poisonous spider princess, Ariana; and even his own initially pompous brother. Together they attempt to free Simon's mother and uncle, but in the process, the protagonist discovers his true heritage: he is the descendent of the Beast King, the most powerful ruler the animal kingdoms have ever seen, a creature capable of changing into any Animalgam he chooses. In an attempt to destroy the evil legacy of the Beast King, Orion and the Alpha would kill their own kin: Simon and Nolan. Though the theme of humans morphing into animals is not new and some of the conceptual aspects of this title resemble Bryan Chick's The Secret Zoo (Greenwillow, 2010), this story is nevertheless unique, the characters relatable and developed, and the adventure unpredictable and entertaining. VERDICT This title is likely to be popular with a whole zoo full of readers, and its ending leaves ample room for a sequel.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1619637049
• ISBN 13: 9781619637047
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320