Rex Zero and the End of the World

Rex Zero #3

by Tim Wynne-Jones

It's the summer of 1962, and to twelve-year-old Rex the world is starting to look like a pretty scary place. On TV there are reports about the Russians and a nuclear war. Some people in his new neighborhood are even building bomb shelters in their backyards. Rex learns that there's trouble closer to home as well. A black panther has escaped from a zoo and he and his friends are sure they have spotted the creature in their local park -- and it is Rex who comes up with a plan to trap it.

In this smart, vivid and touching novel, Tim Wynne-Jones explores the time and place of his own childhood when a kid could spend an entire summer below the radar of adults. But it was also a time of great uncertainty and menace, when memories of an old war were still fresh, and fears of a new one were looming.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Read For School, Canada

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Tim Wynne-Jones (born 12 August 1948) is an English–Canadian author of children's literature, including picture books and novels for children and young adults, novels for adults, radio dramas, songs for the CBC/Jim Henson production Fraggle Rock, as well as a children's musical and an opera libretto.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2001): The Boy in the Burning House
Edgar Award
◊ Best Young Adult (2002): The Boy in the Burning House

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great read. I'd love to read this to my niece and nephew this summer.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1962 the end of the world is near. At least that's what the crazy guy with the sign walking around the streets of Ottawa would have you believe. For Rex Norton-Norton (Rex Zero, for short), the world might well be ending for all he knows. He's just moved to Ottawa from Vancouver (and, before that, from Britain) and since it's the summer you would think that there would be some kids about to play with. There are kids, sure, but whenever Rex sees them they're usually moving as fast as they can away from him. It's very mysterious. Soon the boy befriends some of the locals and the truth comes out. The kids of the town are terrified because there's a gigantic panther on the loose. It's been sighted, but no adult is willing to believe this improbable possibility, which means that it's up to the kids to capture the beast and save themselves. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War in a time of uncertainty and paranoia, author Tim Wynne-Jones constructs an elegant metaphor for a time when people fight against a misunderstood threat with potentially disasterous results.

We, as Americans, don't read a lot of children's books where the hero is a Brit who has moved to Canada. They're all English speaking countries, but somehow such books are almost exotic to us. Even in the depths of their suburbia, they're exotic. This, to my mind, is what sets Mr. Wynne-Jones apart as an author. He fills his book with distinctive details that round out the text and, at the same time, keep the story amusing to child readers. For example, I liked it when Rex sat watching television with his parents, slowly coming to the realization that they were so wrapped up in the program about the Cold War that they've forgotten he's even there. Rex eventually feels so freaked out by the programs that he's obliged to yell, "What am I doing here? . . . Somebody, please make me go to bed!" It's bits like these that give the story the feeling that everything here is, somehow, "real".

You won't find a shortage of quality children's fiction pertaining to the 1960s in the world today. Paranoia makes for strong literature, particularly in these paranoia-laden times in which we live. Of course paranoia, which is to say kid-friendly paranoia, can take on a variety of different forms. In this particular book, it trickles down to the kids in the neighborhood, causing them to see monsters in the very streets around them. In books like The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman, though, the metaphor is a bit more open and blunt, rendering the book a mature and entirely different beastie. What distinguishes "Rex Zero" then is how child-friendly the entire book is. You like Rex. You like his kooky family. You like them in spite of the fact that writing original kooky families is almost impossible in this day and age. Child and adult readers are almost entirely kookied out. It takes a great deal of restraint and training to write one with as strong an undercurrent of truth as is found in "Rex Zero". I credit the fact that Mr. Wynne-Jones has based much of the story here on his own family and you can feel that love emanating from his writing. When Rex and his younger sister share a joke that only the two of them find funny and end up rolling under the kitchen table with laughter, that scene alone struck me as almost too true to write.

"Rex Zero and the End of the World" may be a period piece, but its premise is as timely as ever today. With a great cast of characters, top notch writing, and a story that keeps you guessing, this is one of the unsung gems of the 2007 year. Well worth a gander, should you get a chance to note it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It's about a kid with a really vivid imagination, set in 1962 when the world seems very precarious due to the arms race. The author does a great job of setting it, and I remember most of the references. I'm not sure that today's kids would find it as entertaining as I did, so I'm not sure it's a great choice for the Page Turners club at School 22.

[Stephanie Kenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cold War/Adventure

When Rex Norton-Norton (Rex Zero, for short) moves to Ottawa, he can't help but notice the old guy walking around with a sign saying when the world is going to end. For all he knows, the world is ending, and the worst part is, there doesn't seem to be any kids around to play with. Eventually, he does make friends with some of the local kids who tell him that there is a panther on the loose from the zoo, and it's living in a nearby park. They all come up with a brilliant plan to capture the panther once and for all, and end up discovering something they never expected. This book was an incredibly enjoyable read. It helped give a bit of a historical context because it explored how children living during the Cold War must have felt. Between air raid sirens going off and giant panthers on the loose, it must have been a scary time to be young. Tim Wynne-Jones addresses the subject with humor and lightheartedness. The book seemed to be more of a middle-grade read, but is still enjoyable at any age.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rex Zero (no, that's not his real name...but it is his Super Hero name)is the new kid in town. His family just relocated from Vancouver and he is finding it hard to fit in with the Ottawa kids his age. Mostly this is because there don't appear to BE any kids his age in Ottawa. This could be due to radioactive mutants (the year is 1962, radioactivity appears to be on everyone's minds) that crazy guy who thinks the world is going to end on October 23rd, or Russia spies, Rex isn't sure. But as the new school year looms ever closer, kids start to come out of the woodwork. Rex isn't sure what to do...he's never really had any long term friends. But, he tries to stay cool and fit in, even if that means joining the secret club dedicated to ridding the city of a dangerous beast who is most likely preying on innocent children. That part, that's a long story...so, if you like humor and history, impending doom and pollywogs...give Rex Zero and The End of the World a try.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is extremely deceptive - first, there is no octopus; second, it looks sci-fi when really it's a lovely little work of not-so-long-ago historical fiction. It's about kids, and how information from the adult world filters down to them, and how you react to your neighborhood and friends and your siblings. Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. Rex is about 10, if I remember correctly, and I think the book could read a bit younger.

My favorite bit was when Rex manages to stay up past his bed-time, watching TV with his parents without them noticing the time, and finally he is so exhausted that he says something like, "Please! Someone tell me to go to bed!" Which is often how I feel.

[Carol Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Rex is ten years old, and has moved to a new neighborhood in Canada. It is the summer of 1962, and with three months until sixth grade begins at Mutchmor public school, he hasn't made any friends yet. Besides that, all the kids he sees seem to be running away from something. He has his family, but his siblings are all female. Besides, there's the news about the Cold War, and the Communists, the missile crisis and the old man who holds a sign about the end of the world coming October 23. And then there's the runaway panther. This middle fiction book is rich with details of a bygone era. Adults who lived then will love this telling, full of the trauma and told with charm and laugh-out-loud humor.

[Lauren Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex Zero and the End of the World by Tim Wynne-Jones
Cold War/Mystery/Friendship/Moving On

Rex Zero is a 10 year old boy who just moved to a new town, but something suspicious must be going on because there are no other kids in sight! One night, while taking his dog for a walk in the park, he encounters a strange creature in the bushes. Rex later meets friends and learns that the monster is an rogue panther!...or is it? Set during the threat of the Cold War, Wynne-Jones infuses this tale with humor and love. Rex is a funny hero who has a hilarious family. This book is more middle-grade than young adult, but it could be read by people of any age. Parents might relate to the time period and pop culture references.

[James Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Rex Zero is just another curious kid looking for adventure. When he sees a man on the corner proclaiming that the end of the world is near, he starts noticing some strange things happening around him. Like any other young boy, he begins to investigate and is soon in over his head.
This is a good book that sparks some nostalgia in older readers. Though the feel is pretty middle grade, and it is not difficult to read, it helps us remember what it was like to be a kid. I like how it’s told through the eyes of a young boy who doesn’t really understand the dire situation that America was in at that time. The novel really makes you think to some degree about what you would lose if the world came to an end.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rex is living in Canada during the Cold War, and is trying to figure out how he feels about underground bunkers and air raid drills. He has just moved to Ottawa and hopes to make new friends. When he finally meets some kids, he finds out that they are trying to catch a panther that escaped from the zoo two years ago. They think it is living in the town park, and he joins them in the hunt. He also meets a lot of interesting characters, including an old man in the park who carries a sign announcing that the world will end on October 23rd. The characters in the book are fantastic and highly entertaining, and the story was enjoyable.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Category: Adventure, coming of age

This book is written in the perspective of an 11 year old boy, living in Canada during the Cold War. At the end of the book Rex says: "And so the world ends. . .Except it's not the end. Just a trip to another place. I have made a lot of those trips. I know how he must feel. But it's not so bad. You get used to it. The world ends and then it doesn't. One world seems to come crashing to a halt and you invent another" (180). Imagine being a kid in the time of a big war and feeling like the world is ending. A wonderful and enjoyable book! The cover looks very juvenile, but this book would be great for kids-adults.

[Nils Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in the early 1960s, a time when people were scared of a whole lot of things - especially the bomb - the story leads up the the end of the world. Although it does not turn out to be quite what you might expect. The writing is crisp and the era comes through very clearly in the scenery. Most importantly, for me, the book made me laugh - not just once, but regularly. There were so many quirky ideas and just the kind of mad thoughts that may strike an 11-year old. Shame I can't give it more than 5 stars, really.

[Medford Children's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rex Norton-Norton is an eleven year old boy who just moved to Ottowa during the Cold War. He is having trouble making friends since all the kids seem to be always running somewhere. This is an adventure book about making new friends, catching panthers, building bomb shelters, and dealing with quirky siblings. Rex is a very humorous and wise character for an eleven year old. I would recommend for grades 4 and up.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle Grade/Mystery/1960's

Rex Zero (so called because Johnson-Johnson equals zero), is new in town, and finds the place altogether unexpected. From the homeless man who shouts warnings of the end of the world, to the constant talk to soviets and bombs, and the panther that he and his friends go out to capture, every step Rex finds himself learning that the world is a complicated place. Very easy read, quite funny. 8 and up.

[Rad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe how fast I tore through this novel! Goodness! I only wonder why Rex did not tell his friends a certain something at a certain crucial point, but I guess if it all turned out okay then it all turned out okay. I also question the use of the Ouiji board. Don't some kids have truly fucked-up experiences with those things? But whatever, I'm not here to censor the book. Ouiji Board lives on!

[Joseph McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Despite the fact that it takes place in Canada, and during an earlier era (Cold War), I was able to totally associate with Rex. Wynne-Jones captures the imagination and adventurous innocence of youth perfectly! It was a quick, fun and humorous read. I look forward to checking out the rest of the Rex Zero books.

[Camille Stanford · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover mislead me; I was expecting actual aliens or something similar. Perhaps if I was in the mood for this kind of story it would have been okay, and it did do a pretty good job of portraying a kid's random thoughts and finding fear in odd places, but I just didn't like it. It was fairly boring, so I ended up skipping chunks of it.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. There are lots of things going on and they all weave together seamlessly. I liked being in this characters head. All the characters are wonderfully drawn. I would recommend for middle grade kids - male and female.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it is a kids book, I really liked it. I thought it was fun and fanciful. The characters were fun, interesting, well developed, and interacted nicely with each other. I think this is a great read for kids.

[Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I are really enjoying this book. It's a really fun read in a historical setting and pretty funny. We particularly enjoy it because it's set in Ottawa and we recognize all the places that are referred to!

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about what it was like growing up in the cold war.

[babyhippoface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but I think there are too many Cold War-era references for kids to stay hooked. How many kids today even know what a bomb shelters is?

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddball, fast read, quirky present-tense voice. Small-town Canadian kids in the early sixties cope with the looming threat of nuclear war--and of being eaten by an escaped panther.

[Chantel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2007 Horn Book Honor

[Vern · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable.

[Anna Hartman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in Canada during the "red scare". Some historical information, but probably not enough for a book report. I enjoyed the book, but students might have trouble getting into the book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky historical fiction, even though it is set in 1962 it reads like realistic fiction. Historical fiction for wimpy kid fans.

[Lesley]

Love the Rex Zero series!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a totally unexpected delight---and really brought back some memories of the 1960s.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the Ottawa location.