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The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett (view source)
Revision as of 12:52, 20 November 2010
, 12:52, 20 November 2010no edit summary
Together, the two boys and the captive animals spend an unforgettable night, each telling his own story, and parallel themes of love, loss and courage begin to emerge. Can the boys find a way to free the animals? And will they ever be free of persecution themselves?
Sonya Hartnett, as ever, treats us to a fable for everyman. I love her books. They're at once simple and complex, full of imagery and layers of meaning. They're published for children - and I would happily read ''The Midnight Zoo'' aloud to a child under seven - but no adult would feel ashamed to read them, and Hartnett herself resists the label of children's author. In this book, she's talking about freedom of the body and freedom of the mind and soul. The animals and the children have much in common - both taken away from their own kind and both unable to live with hope for the future.
And it's beautiful, creating a deep emotional connection and using striking imagery - the bear's ears are ''toppled like teacups'', soldiers fill the landscape like ''an ocean of army''. It will open up the worlds of possibilities language can offer to its younger readers and make everyone's heart beat just a little bit faster. An extraordinary and powerful read - just as we have come to expect from this singular author.