The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie

by Jacqueline Resnick, Matthew Cook (Illustrator)

Overview

Four animals must find their ticket out of the circus.

Smalls the sun bear, Tilda the Angora rabbit, Rigby the Komondor dog, and Wombat the wombat are the four animals that make up "the misfit menagerie."

Together they’ve always lived a happy life on Mr. Mumford’s farm. That is, until one fateful evening when Mumford, loopy from elderberry wine, accidentally loses them to the dastardly circus owner Grande Master Claude. Suddenly, these animals are forced to perform death-defying tricks and live in filthy, cramped cages as members of Claude’s traveling circus. But all hope is not lost! Claude’s nephew Bertie and his friend Susan, a circus acrobat, are equally fed up with Claude’s evil ways, and together they might just have what it takes to find their ticket out of the circus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101590751
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	12/06/2012
Series:	The Misfit Menagerie , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jacqueline Resnick received her BA from Cornell University and her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School. She grew up in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and their tiny dog, who moonlights as her writing companion. The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie is her first novel. Find out more at: www.jacquelinewrites.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Resnick’s warmhearted debut . . . sets a lively pace and draws tender characterizations.” —PW

"The distinctive and engaging animal characters will draw readers in and have them rooting for a succesful escape from the awful circus." —Booklist

"Appeal[s] to readers who enjoy their protagonists on the furry side." —School Library Journal

"A good old-fashioned story." —Kirkus Reviews

"A wild and wonderful circus ride." —Tor Seidler, author of The Wainscott Weasel, an ALA Notable Book; Mean Margaret, a finalist for the National Book award; and more

"I forgot about the real world when I got caught up in the charming world of the Most Magnificent Circus." —Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius Files

"With a cruel guardian worthy of Rowling, Snicket, or Dahl, and animal friends as endearing as E.B. White's, Resnick's debut melted my heart." —Suzanne LaFleur, author of Eight Keys and Love, Aubrey

Editorial Reviews

I forgot about the real world when I got caught up in the charming world of the Most Magnificent Circus.” —Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius Files

“A wild and wonderful circus ride. . . . I took to The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie like a bear to honey. Young readers will eat it up!” —Tor Seidler, author of The Wainscott Weasel, an ALA Notable Book; Mean Margaret, a finalist for the National Book Award; and more

“With a cruel guardian worthy of Rowling, Snicket, or Dahl, and animal friends as endearing as E.B. White’s, Resnick’s debut melted my heart.” —Suzanne LaFleur, author of Eight Keys and Love, Aubrey

“Resnick’s warmhearted debut . . . sets a lively pace and draws tender characterizations.” —Publishers Weekly

"Appeal[s] to readers who enjoy their protagonists on the furry side." —School Library Journal

"The distinctive and engaging animal characters will draw readers in and have them rooting for a succesful escape from the awful circus." —Booklist

“A good old-fashioned story.” —Kirkus Reviews

"A heartwarming, old-fashioned tale full of charm and daring friendships." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

Gr 4–6—Smalls the bear and his coterie of animal friends-Rigby the dog, Tilda the rabbit, and Wombat the wombat-lead a happy life on Mumford's Farm & Orchard. Mumford has a weakness for gambling and booze, though, and loses the animals in a card game to an evil circus proprietor named Claude Magnificence. He whisks them off in his crumbling caravan and forces them to learn tricks to perform in his show. Smalls and company are mistreated and miserable, but the one bright spot is Claude's kindhearted, 10-year-old nephew. Bertie is also mistreated by his uncle, and he and Smalls bond over their shared sense of sorrow and loneliness. Eventually, they plan a daring escape. Nail-biting moments follow as readers race to find out whether or not the pair succeeds. Resnick's debut novel is propelled by sweet, gentle Smalls and Bertie, giving the book a sense of innocence and wonder despite the raw depictions of the mistreatment of circus animals. Claude is the opposite of Smalls and Bertie, and in him Resnick creates a villain that readers will love to hate. No new territory is covered here, but the novel may appeal to readers who enjoy their protagonists on the furry side. Atmospheric illustrations appear throughout.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Years ago, stories of boys running away from home to join the circus were popular. This tale turns tail as an indentured boy and "misfit" animals try to run away from the circus. The title sets up the plot, so readers know what will eventually happen. The misfits are Bertie, 11; Smalls, a long-tongued honey bear; Rigby, a moplike white Komondor dog; Tilda, a white Angora rabbit; and Wombat, a hairy-nosed wombat who's in love with Tilda. They were acquired by hook and crook by Bertie's villainous Uncle Claude, the epitome of mean, who gulps cocoa by the urn-full, abuses all of the animals and wants to sell the circus. His two right-hand but wrong-headed men, twins Loyd and Lloyd, cower at every command. There's even romance, as Bertie is smitten by Susan, who performs a cruelly hand-blistering rope act. Each animal has a distinct personality, and they talk to one another but not to the humans. Even though the "lifer" animals (elephant, lions, monkey, zebra) resent them when the misfits begin to perform, they aid in the fiery finale and escape. Pure melodrama with stereotypical villains in a circus setting; the appeal of talking animals with dabs of humor from the twin twits make for a good old-fashioned story. (Animal fantasy. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews