The Midnight Zoo Hardcover – September 13, 2011

(Although I tried not to give away too much of the book, there are possible spoilers.)I chose to read The Midnight Zoo by Sonyia Harnett and illustrated by Andrea Offerman because of my interest in the history of the time period. Despite my interest in the time period, this book is very far removed from what I normally read. However, it was a very interesting story, a quick read, and once I started reading it I could not stop.The Midnight Zoo is about a set of Gypsy siblings that are lost in Europe during World War II. The siblings are Andrej, 12, Tomas, 9, and then Wilma who is still a small baby. The siblings were told by their mother to run away because of danger at their camp. So the two boys took their sister and ran as far as they could. They come upon a bombed out town that has a very small zoo in it. All of the animals in the zoo have been left in their cages and the people of the village are no longer there to care for them. After another instance of airplanes bombing the town the animals begin to talk to the boys and share their stories. The boys return the favor. However, the boys realize that they also need to leave and Tomas does not want to leave the animals behind. The rest is for the reader to find out.Andrej and Tomas are very dynamic and round characters. At the beginning of the story, they were frightened boys who were concerned about the survival of themselves and their sister. However, as they get to know the animals they begin to realize that they were not the only ones affected by this war and they were not the only ones left to fend for themselves. The antagonist in this story is the leader of the invading army. He is only talked about and he is blamed for everything because his military has affected all of the characters in some way and the character is very flat.The main setting of the story is World War II Europe in a small zoo. The author does a very good job of describing it for the reader. The center of the zoo is a circle of grass with a large tree and all of the animals' cages are lined up in a ring around the circle. The author also describes what the native habitats for some of the animals in different flashback sequences. The theme of this story is the effect that war can have on the most innocent victims.The author uses flashbacks and intense descriptions to tell the story. She uses onomatopoeia, like "Klong!" (pg.1) to describe the chiming of a bell. She also uses longer and more intense vocabulary than what is normally found in a book designated for children in the upper elementary level grades.I enjoyed the point of view of the story and the flashbacks to the different animals' stories to be interesting. Another reason that I was drawn to this story is that it mirrors the plight that the animals in the Tripoli Zoo are facing while their country is being torn apart. I would recommend this story for students interested in World War II or Gypsies and the affect that the war had on them.

I've slowly been making my way through a long list of recommended reading by a librarian friend of mine, and the premise of this book looked especially interesting. A zoo full of talking animals? Just what exactly could be in store here? Curious, I gave the book a go, and left with a stark picture of how both horrible and heroic humanity can be in the darkest of times.Deep in the middle of WWII, two siblings, Andrej and his younger brother Tomas, struggle to take care of their baby sister Wilma, as they roam the countryside--scavenging ruined villages for food and shelter while hiding from enemy soldiers after their Gypsy caravan was mercilessly attacked. One night, they discover and take refuge in an abandoned zoo, where they're surprised to discover that the forgotten and neglected animals within can talk. Both human and beast alike then spend the night together--swapping stories of how the war has affected them, and clinging onto the hope that they'll all someday see true freedom from the horrors thrown upon them.This is easily one of the stronger anti-war stories I've come across, and it has a very clever way of getting its message across, by having the horrors of conflict be told through the eyes of society's most innocent--kids and animals. No solid explanation is given for why the zoo residents talk, and honestly, it's not really needed. The closest we get is the simple answer that no one ever bothered to stop and listen to them. And it's this theme of ignorance that permeates through the whole book, as both the animals and the children didn't ask for this war and have no part in it, yet are just as traumatized, persecuted, and neglected for just being who they are.The writing itself is excellent, with a dream-like quality that isn't too flowery, but still poetic in its execution--painting detailed scenes that are easy to picture in one's mind. And all the characters have varying personalities and different opinions on humanity. Some outright hate man and the destruction they bring--others are more forgiving, especially since most of the zoo holds onto the hope that the missing zookeeper's daughter, Alice, will return to free them. She's the only one that isn't seen--only mentioned in stories, but even she's well developed; her carelessness arguably causing the destruction of the town, but she owns up to her mistakes and vows to return and set things right, leading to an ending that's mercifully uplifting.Both brutal and uplifting in its depictions of the good and bad sides of mankind, this story uses a unique method of teaching the audience the horrors of hate and intolerance, and how the most innocent of victims can suffer the most because of it. Though this is technically a "young adult" novel, I'd recommend this for ages 12 and up for its heavy material and semi graphic depictions of violence and destruction. It's not the easiest of reads, but it serves as an excellent teaching tool about the darkest parts of our history. A must read.

Read this novel as part of a class assignment. Very well written and whimsical. Easy to connect to the two boys and even the animals. Without trying to spoil any parts, I will leave it at this: The novel is a great read with motifs that carry into today's society with a surprising ending.

I truly enjoyed this book, but I will say this allagory is to dark for youngsters. It is also to difficult to decipher for a child on their own to read. A good book for parent and child to read together to better understand the affect Hitler had during the Second World War. It is a great book for parents to talk with their children about how we should treat others.

Very interesting, leaving unanswered questions. Did they die?

This book received an excellent review somewhere and I made the mistake of buying it. My students were lost and couldn't keep up with it.

Bought this book for my granddaughters and they loved it. My daughter is a school teacher and recommended it I get it for them.

Bought this in Kindle version for my daughter from a recommended reading list for Y7/8 at her school. She read it in 2 days and loved it! Would definitely recommend.

This is an unusual story - it's one that I enjoyed even though it was not a particularly happy tale.

Was a good holiday read and quite thought provoking. A nice change, original story and likeable characters. I recommend it

A very good story about the holocaust and how two boys survive it, which is very hard. I like it.

Such a lovely story.