Goose on the Loose

Animal Ark [GB Order] #14

by Ben M. Baglio (Creator), Helen Magee (Ghostwriter), Shelagh McNicholas (Illustrator)

Caring for Penny Hapwell's pet goose, Gussie, turns into a disaster after Gussie is mistakenly handed over to Mr. Barker, who won a goose in a raffle and is looking forward to roast goose with all the trimmings, and it is up to Mandy Hope and her friend James to get Gussie back.Gussie, a pet goose, is mistakenly handed over to the man who won a raffled goose and is looking forward to roast goose with all the trimmings, and it is up to Mandy Hope and her friend James to get Gussie back

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

146 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

About the author

Ben M. Baglio created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. Each ghostwriter is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page.

Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.

Reviews

[A.R. Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a recent acquisition; as a child, I refused to add it to my Animal Ark collection due to its incongruous title. Well, I still don't like the title, but I did like the story (and I suppose it wouldn't have flowed so well if Gussie the goose had been forced into a location beginning with G).

After some overuse of Jenny Oldfield, another ghost writer has been finally given a turn; Helen Magee, fresh from her time away from Animal Ark, brings some much needed variety to the series. Okay, she also brings the habit of dumping information about who's who and how Mandy knows them, but this doesn't go on for too long. For me, this is the most original story that the series so far has had to offer, and it does a very good job of blending the titular animal's story with the human guest star's - in this case, Mr Barber, the temporary postmaster who rubs everyone up the wrong way. After I've seen Mandy and James help such old chestnuts as a lonely boy who's not keen on his stepmother-to-be (Bunnies in the Bathroom), and city kids facing prejudice in a rural village (Hamster in a Hamper), Mr Barber was a breath of fresh air!

There are some plot contrivances to bring him and Gussie together and this, along with the aforementioned info-dumping, meant I didn't get into the story straight away. But it really picks up by the halfway point, probably around where the author makes compelling and original use of Ernie Bell; at one stage, he gets right into the thick of things with Mandy and James, and no one even mentions his boring old carpentry skills! I also enjoyed the brief but engaging contribution of Tommy Pickard (grandson to the more frequently used Walter), and I was very glad not to see too much of Mrs Ponsonby for once.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the American Scholastic paperback edition, where Ben Baglio is listed as the author instead of Lucy Daniels. Neither was the real author. She was Helen Magee.

This is often listed as one of the favorite books of Animal Ark fans, since it's quite memorable. The episode even got the TV treatment in the short-lived ITV series in 1997. It's also the only book in the entire series --and all of the spin-off series -- that featured a goose. (Yes, there was Swan in the Swim and swans are the largest members of the goose family, but swans don't count, dammit.)

Personally, I had real trouble with the ending. It seemed too implausible. Now, granted, this is a kid's series that borders on fantasy, anyway. Mandy is eternally 12, for Chrissakes. Animal Ark books had to be about the same length, so Magee apparently had to hurry things along quickly to not go over the allowed page length.

The main plot will be familiar to readers of the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Blue Carbuncle." Two geese that look alike get mixed up. In the Sherlock Holmes story, both geese die (not a spoiler; trust me) but what happens to the pet goose about to be led to the chopping block in this book?

Like most Animal Ark books, there is also a B plot. A cute English bulldog puppy needs a home. Man, times have sure changed since this was first written. There is a strong movement in the UK and Europe to ban the breeding or promotion of flat-faced dog breeds like the English bulldog, since they suffer terribly from health problems. I believe most greeting card companies in the UK have stopped selling cards with flat-faced dogs on them.

Anyway, it's a cute book where Mandy and James technically run foul of the law ... so to speak.

[6thbreed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended Age: 10 or 12 and up.
Goose on the Loose was a fun, little, diverting story. It wasn’t amazing, and it wasn’t horrible. It was just average. Hence the three stars. I did think that the kids being encouraged to steal back the goose and Samantha being disrespectful to an adult, even a difficult adult, without getting any actual punishment was a wrong message to portray to the readers.
I also looked at how many books the Animal Ark series has. It has 94 books! Personally, I think that is way too long, and usually books series that lengthy means that they’re just watered down versions of the first books and there is no character growth whatsoever.
Overall, if you’re bored and looking for an average, clean read with animals, I would recommend Goose on the Loose.

[Clarice · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read these books when i was little and they all are good except sometimes a little boring because all the animal ark series has pretty much the same storyline.

[Rinya Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very first book from the Animal Ark series !

[Rea]

I really enjoyed this whole series as a child. Back then I'd devour each of the books as soon as I could get my hands on them.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember

[Sammy]

I was completely obsessed with this series of books when I was a child and my aim was to read every single book. They are a really good children's series.