Imagine having the coolest pets in town. The absolute coolest pets. Then imagine not being able to tell anyone about them. This is what Zoe Kahn has to go through every day. In The Menagerie, the first book in a new series by sisters Tui and Kari Sutherland, Zoe and her family are the latest in a centuries-old line who secretly protect a collection of mythical creatures—dragons, kelpies, mermaids, woolly mammoths and more. When six baby griffins escape, though, the safety of the Menagerie is suddenly in jeopardy.
Logan Wilde is new in town, having moved to Xanadu, Wyoming, with his dad after his mom sent a postcard letting them know she was never coming back home. He knows the names of a few kids in his class, but none of them bother to talk to him. One day, after noticing that Zoe was worried about a missing pet, Logan goes home, and finds something hiding under his bed. After attempting to return the animal, Logan quickly realizes that he has a much larger role to play in the survival of the Menagerie.
Perfect for fans of Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series, The Menagerie is a promising start to what looks to be an exciting new series. It features strong male and female characters, an engrossing plot and a maddeningly wonderful cliffhanger ending. Told with humor, compassion, tension and honesty, The Menagerie immerses readers in Zoe and Logan’s world and will make them wish there was a zoo of mythical creatures hidden in their town as well.
