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The Secret Zoo #5
Raids and Rescues
The fifth book in the fast-paced and imaginative series about four adventurous friends and the secret world hidden in their local zoo. Ella, Noah, Richie, and Megan are in trouble—and so is the Secret Zoo! A captivating series for tween readers praised as "action packed and breathless" by Publishers Weekly, and "a fast-paced mix of mystery and fantasy" by School Library Journal.
The Secret Zoo is an incredible world hidden beneath the regular Clarksville Zoo, where animals and humans peacefully coexist as equals. It is full of marvels. But even in the Secret Zoo, there are dangers . . . and forbidden places. When the scouts' friends are held in the off-limits sector—a never-ending maze of aquariums—Noah, Megan, Richie, and Ella must be at their most courageous. This page-turning mystery and adventure is perfect for reluctant readers!
The Secret Zoo is an incredible world hidden beneath the regular Clarksville Zoo, where animals and humans peacefully coexist as equals. It is full of marvels. But even in the Secret Zoo, there are dangers . . . and forbidden places. When the scouts' friends are held in the off-limits sector—a never-ending maze of aquariums—Noah, Megan, Richie, and Ella must be at their most courageous. This page-turning mystery and adventure is perfect for reluctant readers!
272 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2013
228 people are currently reading
623 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Chick
21 books147 followersThe idea of The Secret Zoo came to me when I was just nine years old. I wondered what it would be like if zoo exhibits had secret passages that allowed kids to get in and animals to get out. Over twenty years, this idea matured in complexity and length until it had become an epic story, to be told in ten full-length novels. When I'm not exploring the worlds in my head, I spend time speaking to likeminded peers at elementary schools across the nation. If you would like me to come visit your school, please contact info@BryanChick.com for more information or go to www.TheSecretZoo.com. Come visit my Facebook page at for updates at www.facebook.com/TheSecretZoo
Thanks for checking out my books!
Thanks for checking out my books!
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 23, 2024
Finished this book with my third grade class and they are still as obsessed with this series as they were with the first book. This book continues on with the four main characters Noah, Megan, Ella and Richie and they are on their journey to try to help the secret society and the secret zoo, and bring down DeGraff. Such good chapters with good cliffhangers that leave the kids wanting to read more. They are engaged throughout this and really connected with the characters. They are really excited to read the last book in this series!
May 26, 2023
This book was about danger and love. It was at times awesome, other times funny, but most of all interesting. This series is good for kids and their imagination.
July 4, 2023
Book 5 continues the adventures of 4 pre-teens who have become part of the team trying to protect the Secret Zoo from the Susquatches and the Shadowist. This time the Shadowist has kidnapped 2 of the team along with 2 of the teams animal friends. Will the rest of the team be able to save them without putting themselves in danger?
Great series especially for pre-teens with plenty of fantasy and science fiction.
Great series especially for pre-teens with plenty of fantasy and science fiction.
February 21, 2021
Amazing Series!
I don't want to finish it because I've gotten to know all of the charecters
I don't want to finish it because I've gotten to know all of the charecters
October 5, 2017
I really liked the secret zoo book even though I went to the fifth book in the series since I did not know there were other books. In the secret zoo if someone gets split up or taken away from the group the characters plan rescue raids for them if they do not respond to signals. In my opinion these rescue raids took a bit longer than I prefer and that's one thing I didn't like about the book. In the beginning of the book I felt like the start was really slow and it took the book to really start rolling at about thirty to forty five pages. This can really turn off a lot of readers and make them return the book or stop reading it. One thing I really did like about the book is the wording the author, Bryan Chick, used. The wording he uses to describe the setting really makes me feel like I'm in a lion's cage or in the aquarium of jellyfish. What I think the author tried to do with this book is tried to make it semi realistic at some points. But I think he should've just gone with one genre instead of trying to merge realistic with fiction. I also think the author tried to give me too much information about each character as one example can be when he spent one to two chapters just having me be in the shoes of a character. I think the author should have just had about two characters to a chapter.
December 31, 2020
As with any series, the challenge is for each book to exceed expectations set by the previous book and continue to build wonder. Bryan Chick does this, but stretches credulity. Both the Clarksville Zoo and Secret Zoo seem to be getting bigger and more improbably, and the ways Bryan supports the improbability seems equally contrived just for the book in which it is featured. But that's OK, because it's a book for kids who won't nit-pick certain plot points, and the parents sage enough to keep their mouths shut about it while reading to them.
By this point in the series, however, I've grown tired of the primary conflict between Mr. Darby and the Shadowist, and was more frustrated at the end simply because that conflict did not end when it really should have. Of more interest to me is the simmering feud between the Descenders and the Spectres (ironically, one of the points that appears to have been contrived for this story), and the inner political workings of the Zoo. I realize this Secret Zoo series ends in the next book, but I'm hoping Bryan Chick has a little more in him that allows him to explore how these extraordinary animals and humans can co-exist so well, for so long, in such secrecy.
By this point in the series, however, I've grown tired of the primary conflict between Mr. Darby and the Shadowist, and was more frustrated at the end simply because that conflict did not end when it really should have. Of more interest to me is the simmering feud between the Descenders and the Spectres (ironically, one of the points that appears to have been contrived for this story), and the inner political workings of the Zoo. I realize this Secret Zoo series ends in the next book, but I'm hoping Bryan Chick has a little more in him that allows him to explore how these extraordinary animals and humans can co-exist so well, for so long, in such secrecy.
February 21, 2020
Was I expecting a good book? Yeah, Bryan Chick has yet to disappoint!
Was I expecting something as intense and amazing as this? Not in my wildest dreams!
I absolutely loved this book and devoured the last hundred pages and more in one night. I simply couldn’t put it down!
This series is a great read!!
Was I expecting something as intense and amazing as this? Not in my wildest dreams!
I absolutely loved this book and devoured the last hundred pages and more in one night. I simply couldn’t put it down!
This series is a great read!!
August 16, 2021
We really enjoyed it, although not as much as book 4. I read this with Jack & it was even cooler to read after meeting Bryan Chick earlier this month! The last half was really exciting with the rescue missions, but it was a little slow before that.
March 8, 2025
I don’t love this series but my kid loves me reading them to him at bedtime. So 5 stars for bonding, 2 stars for literary content. Lots of cliff hangers and mystery which keeps him hanging on. Brave kid heroes. Any kid’s jam.
May 6, 2017
The pacing and characters have improved. Not as gross as 4. But still not the last book. Dragging on a bit now.
March 20, 2022
Wow!! This one kept us on our toes! Stayed up for over an hour to read the last ten chapters. We knew we wouldn’t be able to stop. Can’t wait for the next and final book!
December 28, 2022
In this iteration of the secret zoo, the scouts need to go on some high stakes adventures. World building is still interesting.
October 6, 2023
3.5 stars
January 8, 2024
More adventure packed.
January 11, 2024
Couldn't stop reading
I enjoy these type books, some of the middle school books are better than adult books. The series was awesome, can't wait for book 6!!
I enjoy these type books, some of the middle school books are better than adult books. The series was awesome, can't wait for book 6!!
June 12, 2024
Even way cooler book even way cooler animal
February 8, 2025
Awesome
July 6, 2017
This book seemed a little slower moving, but the ending leaves us looking forward to the end of the series - What happens next????? I feel like book 5 was the least interesting book of the series, closely followed by book 2, because it drags out the rescue attempts for so long...
March 10, 2017
Love love love the series!
November 21, 2013
The set of five novels comprising The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick have achieved a good deal of popularity, and for good reason. The loving relationships between Noah, his sister Megan, and their two friends Ella and Richie are touching and inspiring. In the first book, when Megan has been kidnapped by Sasquatches who are aligned with Man of Shadows, her brother and friends risk themselves to rescue her.
The love between them extends to a group of gifted animals they meet, a polar bear, a kingfisher, a rhinoceros and a prairie dog being prominent among them. These gifted animals belong to a secret zoo, a zoo and a word hidden by the "normal" Clarksville Zoo next to the neighborhood where these children live. The world of the secret zoo appears to be an enchanted utopia when the children are introduced to it by Mr. Darby. Humans and gifted animals live in a unified culture where both are equal and creativity bursts out in the architecture of the buildings, especially the library that is overwhelming in its awesomeness.
Usually there are some serpents in paradise and this proves to be the case here. The Secret Zoo is haunted by De Graaf, the Man of Shadows, a man who has lost almost all substance except from what he can steal from the shadows of others. (A good illustration of the parasitical nature of evil.) When it turns out that De Graaf is responsible for finding the magician brothers who created the Secret Zoo, the whole world becomes problematic.
Unfortunately, there is more that is disturbing. A group of four teenagers, called Descenders, who turn out to have powers connected with animal powers, are assigned the job of training the scouts as crossers (people who cross between the normal world & the Secret Zoo). The Descenders treat the scouts badly with heavy doses of condescension, but when three of the Descenders are captured in Book IV, it is the Scouts who help to rescue them, thus returning good for their ill will.
More disturbing is the growing awareness of how revenge motivates the Descenders, a group of girls called Specters because they have trained chameleons to cover them and render them invisible and Mr. Darby himself. Revenge for what? An earlier war that expelled the sasquatches doesn't seem to explain it. At the end of the series, we do not yet know what the revenge is for. Perhaps this is a way of reminding us that revenge is, in the end, always empty. Most disturbing is the growing realization among the scouts that Mr. Darby, for all the benevolence he has shown, is looking more and more like a mirror image of De Graaf, the Man of Shadows. In all of this, we have four children whose loyalty to each other and other friends create a nexus of good mimesis (shared desire centered on the good of the other)
So it is that the series does not end on as triumphant a note as one might like, thus leaving the door open for at least one more series, which the author is indeed working on already.
The love between them extends to a group of gifted animals they meet, a polar bear, a kingfisher, a rhinoceros and a prairie dog being prominent among them. These gifted animals belong to a secret zoo, a zoo and a word hidden by the "normal" Clarksville Zoo next to the neighborhood where these children live. The world of the secret zoo appears to be an enchanted utopia when the children are introduced to it by Mr. Darby. Humans and gifted animals live in a unified culture where both are equal and creativity bursts out in the architecture of the buildings, especially the library that is overwhelming in its awesomeness.
Usually there are some serpents in paradise and this proves to be the case here. The Secret Zoo is haunted by De Graaf, the Man of Shadows, a man who has lost almost all substance except from what he can steal from the shadows of others. (A good illustration of the parasitical nature of evil.) When it turns out that De Graaf is responsible for finding the magician brothers who created the Secret Zoo, the whole world becomes problematic.
Unfortunately, there is more that is disturbing. A group of four teenagers, called Descenders, who turn out to have powers connected with animal powers, are assigned the job of training the scouts as crossers (people who cross between the normal world & the Secret Zoo). The Descenders treat the scouts badly with heavy doses of condescension, but when three of the Descenders are captured in Book IV, it is the Scouts who help to rescue them, thus returning good for their ill will.
More disturbing is the growing awareness of how revenge motivates the Descenders, a group of girls called Specters because they have trained chameleons to cover them and render them invisible and Mr. Darby himself. Revenge for what? An earlier war that expelled the sasquatches doesn't seem to explain it. At the end of the series, we do not yet know what the revenge is for. Perhaps this is a way of reminding us that revenge is, in the end, always empty. Most disturbing is the growing realization among the scouts that Mr. Darby, for all the benevolence he has shown, is looking more and more like a mirror image of De Graaf, the Man of Shadows. In all of this, we have four children whose loyalty to each other and other friends create a nexus of good mimesis (shared desire centered on the good of the other)
So it is that the series does not end on as triumphant a note as one might like, thus leaving the door open for at least one more series, which the author is indeed working on already.
September 30, 2024
This book is sooo good! The author clearly put a lot more effort into this book than he needed to! The stakes, the risks, the fights and action scenes are so suspenseful. Scary even. While still being fairly kid-friendly of course. I like the more morally gray Mr. Darby has become in this book and the series, as well as the rivalry between the Descendants and the Specters! Teaching kids that people aren't all as black and white as they appear. A good message considering the last few books. This series is so good with its creativity and action! When will the next one come out???!!! I need to know!
March 2, 2014
This is the fifth adventure for Ella, Noah, Richie and Megan with the people and animals of the Secret Zoo. Each book has introduced more and more of the magical people that live and protect the secret zoo. This time the kids work with Specters. They are people that work with chameleons that blend in with their environment. They will have to in order to rescue Blizzard (a polar bear), Little Bighorn (rhino) and people called Descenders.
It is an interesting story. Fast read. As the adventures increases, so does the involvement of Noah, Richie, Megan and Ella. They become more integral and they seem to be learning faster as the adventures increases. I guess because the bad guy, DeGraff, is getting more powerful.
It is an interesting story. Fast read. As the adventures increases, so does the involvement of Noah, Richie, Megan and Ella. They become more integral and they seem to be learning faster as the adventures increases. I guess because the bad guy, DeGraff, is getting more powerful.
June 4, 2014
One if the best books I ever read. I loved it so much I read it in one day! I just hope there will be the next one out soon cause I can't wait that long to find out the ending! My favorite part was the ending during the recuses. Noah was smart to drain the water with the portal packets. Also, Ella fought bravely agent DeGraff. I recommend it to any one grades 3th-5th . It might be harder though for 3th graders and easier for 5th graders because I am a 5th grader and read it in one night!
January 27, 2015
Once again, Seth and I immersed ourselves in The Secret Zoo. Bryan Chick never fails to entertain as he takes his characters from the Clarksville Zoo through the magic portals to the Secret Zoo. Once again, Blizzard and Little Big Horn were favorite characters along with Richie, Noah, Megan, Ella, Mr. Darby, Tank, the Descenders and the Secret Cityzens. We are anxiously awaiting the release of book #6!
November 24, 2013
I wish there was another book in the series!:)
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November 3, 2013Review coming soon once posted at its original destination.
November 5, 2013
it was totaly awesome! i loved it cos the book is so creative with all the animals and magic.
but it also shows true friendship cos its this group of friends who goes on big adventures.
but it also shows true friendship cos its this group of friends who goes on big adventures.
January 31, 2014
My goodness - the most action packed and scary book so far in the series.
October 5, 2015
4.5
So many questions not answered! There's got to be another book coming...
So many questions not answered! There's got to be another book coming...
September 15, 2014
I have loved every page of The Secret Zoo series. The story is wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews