A strange story about a ten year old and her interactions with a group of eccentric women and the animals in a small, faded zoo.

Picked up at the Unconvention as I have heard good things about this book. Looking forward to it!

This is an excellent book. Quirky and funny and extremely enjoyable, with a great cast of characters and one or two thought-provoking moments although nothing too heavy. I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of a slightly odd ten-year old (who should be more odd given her repressed/plain loopy English parents), including the fantastic setting of the old zoo in her new American home town, and the eccentric women who look after it and name all their animals after historical female figures. At the end you can't help but root for them as they face closure... this could make quite a feel-good film, I think - at the very least, it's an ideal holiday read.

[12/8/05] Sending to sueb4, open to a ray or wild release after that!

Received from ermintrude75, thanks.
I too have heard good reports about this book so am looking forward to reading it.