The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie

Misfit Menagerie

by Jacqueline Resnick, Matthew Cook (Illustrations)

Smalls the sun bear and his friends are an unusual bunch. That's why they're known as the Misfit Menagerie. The four oddball animals live on Mr. Mumford's farm, where they play games and do tricks for neighborhood children. It's an idyllic existence--until a cruel circus owner named Claude Magnificence comes to town, and life as they know it ends. The Menagerie is snatched away to a traveling circus, where Claude and his buffoonish sidekicks force them to perform death-defying tricks. 

At the circus, Smalls and his friends only have slop to eat. They live in filthy, cramped cages. And they're bullied by a rough band of trained animals called the Lifers. It's worse than awful--it's despicable! But then young Bertie Magnificence comes along, and he and Smalls form the kind of friendship that inspires hope. They decide that something needs to change...and fast. With the help of an acrobat named Susan, Smalls and Bertie set in motion a heroic plan. 

Can a lonely boy and a misfit bear hoodwink cruel Claude and save an entire circus of captive animals?

Genres: Animals, Fantasy, Kids, Middle Grade

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2012

About the author

Jacqueline Resnick is the author of Raffie on the Run, a middle grade novel. She spent twelve years living in Manhattan and Brooklyn, where she often wrote on the subway -- and every once in a while spotted a subway rat like Raffie. She now lives in New Jersey with her family. Learn more at www.jacquelinewrites.com.

Reviews

[Dana Grimes]

What I liked about this book: The cover.

What I didn't like about this book: The rest. It was super disappointing considering how adorable all the illustrations were, but this books was just too sad and not all that hopeful or redeeming. There is child abuse, animal abuse, neglect all around, and way too many sub plots. Lastly, it ends without really any ending because there is going to be another book. Ugh. I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone really, especially not my own child. I have read plenty of books with mistreatment but to be good it has to be handled well and I just didn't feel that was here at all.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the ridiculous love triangle between an angora rabbit, a wombat, and a zebra!

[Mary]

I just finished reading this book aloud to my students, and we've had so much fun with it. The characters are funny and endearing, and each of my students has their own personal favorite. The story touches on some important topics about the choices we make and the people we become, but is never heavy-handed about it. The villain in the book is TERRIBLE - truly terrible! My students loved seeing Bertie and the animals rise against him. Would definitely recommend, particularly for third to fifth graders.

[Kaitlyn Marquart]

This was such a sweet story! A beautiful example of helping kids understand that life isn’t easy for everyone and to gain empathy for others. The characters are imperfect, quirky, and wonderfully individual, yet each has feelings, fears, and reasons for the way they behave. As their journey unfolds, readers are given opportunities to see the world from perspectives they might not otherwise consider.
That makes this more than an entertaining middle-grade adventure. At its heart, it’s a story about compassion, acceptance, and learning that being different doesn’t make someone less worthy of friendship or understanding. Young readers will have fun with the adventure while quietly absorbing a much bigger message: sometimes the person we understand least is the person who needs us to understand them most.
A heartfelt, engaging read for all ages!

[Steph]

Oh my goodness... How cute was that? I loved the quirkiness of each character and the friendships they formed. At the end I was so bummed that not every story line was wrapped up, but then I discovered that the sequel will be coming out in the fall!

I love the misfit menagerie!



"When I was little," she told Bertie, "I used to see this duck wandering around our farm, always waddling after the same family of squirrels. Finally one day I asked my mom if the duck was confused and thought he was a squirrel. 'Of course not,' my mom told me. 'He knows he's a duck. But sometimes you can find family in surprising places." Susan turned to Bertie. His bright blue eyes were clouded over with tears. "You just have to find your squirrels," she said softly.

[Karen Sanders]

I read this book with my son (third grader), and we both just loved it. There was an incredible cast of characters - both children and animal - who we found ourselves rooting for throughout the whole book. The relationships between the different characters were fun, touching and often humorous. (The zebra's crush on the angora rabbit was my son's favorite! Mine perhaps was the friendship that forms between Bertie and Susan, the two circus kids.) The plot was fun and fast-paced - it kept us turning the pages. And the cliffhanger ending has my son asking me when the next one will be out!

[Molly]

I was reading this aloud to my 8 year old son, but we decided to stop. It was just too sad, and there were too many mean, cruel characters. I am usually ok with difficult subjects, but this book just kept getting worse and worse! I didn't see any redemption on the road ahead either. Maybe for older kids this would be ok, but it wasn't interesting for my kid, and I think it was too negative for bedtime reading.

[Serina]

WE JUST GOT THIS BOOK! YAY! lol...
Well thought would be my top favorite but its not. It's stil an excellent read thou! I think kids will loooove it. C' mon it has super cute animals plus the circus! What's not to like?! Lol. the uncle is crazy mean an reminds me of the Lenny snicket books but other than that a good beginner book

[Alison]

A cute story with a quirky set of animals. I read this with my daughter and she loved it! I could see this as a Disney story; the crazy and bumbling villain Claude and the clueless sidekick twins Lloyd and Loyd. The cute animals and the neglected kids who find comfort in a new friendship. We are looking forward to the second book in the series.

[Clare Poirier]

I hadn't read this until my sister had recommended it to me. It was adorable! The misfit menagerie and their escapade to escape was heartfelt and at the same time had a lot of action. I definitely would recommend reading this book

[Charlena]

I read this a little at at a time as a bedtime story and the family loved it....hope to read more books by this author!!

[Patrick]

Absolutely wonderful. Kids will live it!!!

[Jodie]

The story is not finished, so I see a sequel in the future.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens]

Unusual animals with distinct personalities (oh, how I love Wombat the hairy-nosed wombat!)team up with two kids at a less-than marvelous circus. Who wouldn't like this one?

[Esme]

Took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was very enjoyable.

[Mary]

The girls really enjoyed this and can't wait to read the next one!

[Ashley]

It's good so far

[Pat Knight]

An old fashioned story with unique characters and a classic villain. Jacqueline Resnick built a unique world in which animals have important roles.

[Annie]

It was daring at the end and I CANNOT wait for the sequel to come out!

[April]

Very cute - give to fans of the One and Only Ivan.