Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins (2014), Edition: Reprint, 272 pages
Description
Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, Tui T. Sutherland, and her sister, Kari H. Sutherland, comes the Menagerie series, perfect for fans of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series and The Spiderwick Chronicles. In the small town of Xanadu, Wyoming lies the Menagerie, a top secret facility filled with unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and other fairy tale creatures. At least, it was a secret-until six griffin cubs escaped. If Logan and Zoe don't get the cubs back fast, the entire Menagerie will be shut down. The race is on and the resulting adventure is only the beginning of a thrilling series that will leave readers wanting a magical menagerie of their very own.
User reviews
LibraryThing member krau0098
I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program to review. The premise sounded absolutely intriguing. It was a very well done book; full of mystery, adventure, and fun. It was a lot of fun to read and I enjoyed the characters and all of the mythical creatures.
Logan finds a griffin pup
This was a super fun read, mostly about friendship and sprinkled with lots of awesome beasties. Logan is a pretty lonely kid, having just moved to the area. When he gets wrapped up in Zoe’s crazy Menagerie he finally finds both friends and an extended family of sorts.
Logan is a great character. He’s just your average boy, trying to fit in and make friends. Then he gets wrapped up in the Menagerie and suddenly he finds that he is more resourceful and brave than he ever knew.
Zoe and Blue were also great characters. They both have interesting lives and complex pasts. I loved reading about them both. There is definitely a theme of friendship throughout the book and about accepting people for who they are.
I really enjoyed reading about the different magical beasts. The griffins were adorably obnoxious, the unicorns aloof, and the mermaids a bit creepy. The book was fast-paced and very engaging and hard to put down. The story itself was fairly straightforward, but did have some twists and turns.
I liked that this book was aimed at boys and girls equally. We hear from both Zoe and Logan, so this book should appeal to both boys and girls. I think it would be appropriate for middle grade and older readers. There isn’t anything super scary in here, so younger readers might enjoy it as well.
The book was well written and easy to read. The plot wrapped up nicely, but there are still mysteries that are yet to be revealed. I am hoping these mysteries are unraveled in future books.
Overall a very fun read. I enjoyed the characters, the magical creatures, and the fast-paced plot. Recommended to fantasy lovers out there who love middle grade reads about mythical beasts. A great read for both boys and girls. Definitely recommended, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Logan finds a griffin pup
Show More
hiding under his bed and this leads him to meeting Zoe. Zoe’s family has guarded and run the Menagerie for generations. When the griffin pups break free Zoe is in big trouble and is frantically trying to track them all down. If she can’t track them all down both Menagerie and the griffin’s lives will be at risk!This was a super fun read, mostly about friendship and sprinkled with lots of awesome beasties. Logan is a pretty lonely kid, having just moved to the area. When he gets wrapped up in Zoe’s crazy Menagerie he finally finds both friends and an extended family of sorts.
Logan is a great character. He’s just your average boy, trying to fit in and make friends. Then he gets wrapped up in the Menagerie and suddenly he finds that he is more resourceful and brave than he ever knew.
Zoe and Blue were also great characters. They both have interesting lives and complex pasts. I loved reading about them both. There is definitely a theme of friendship throughout the book and about accepting people for who they are.
I really enjoyed reading about the different magical beasts. The griffins were adorably obnoxious, the unicorns aloof, and the mermaids a bit creepy. The book was fast-paced and very engaging and hard to put down. The story itself was fairly straightforward, but did have some twists and turns.
I liked that this book was aimed at boys and girls equally. We hear from both Zoe and Logan, so this book should appeal to both boys and girls. I think it would be appropriate for middle grade and older readers. There isn’t anything super scary in here, so younger readers might enjoy it as well.
The book was well written and easy to read. The plot wrapped up nicely, but there are still mysteries that are yet to be revealed. I am hoping these mysteries are unraveled in future books.
Overall a very fun read. I enjoyed the characters, the magical creatures, and the fast-paced plot. Recommended to fantasy lovers out there who love middle grade reads about mythical beasts. A great read for both boys and girls. Definitely recommended, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dmiller70
Great fantasy/adventure book! It is the first in a new series.
LibraryThing member jlwllm12
Can't wait for the next book. I couldn't put this one down.
LibraryThing member soraki
Zoe's family runs the Menagerie, a sanctuary for magical creatures. When six griffin cubs escape their enclosure, it's up to her track them down before people see them.
Logan has always wanted a dog, so he's thrilled beyond belief when he finds a griffin cub under his bed. The cub brings him to the
This is a fun and charming book and the griffins are adorable. The main mystery is solved but there are still lots of unresolved mysteries. Why did Logan's mother disappear? What is the mayor up to? Why is the librarian spying on them? Hopefully, the next book will solve some of these mysteries.
Logan has always wanted a dog, so he's thrilled beyond belief when he finds a griffin cub under his bed. The cub brings him to the
Show More
Menagerie, where he discovers dragons, mermaids, and yetis. Logan and Zoe team up to find the rest of the cubs and to solve the mystery of who let them out of their cage. This is a fun and charming book and the griffins are adorable. The main mystery is solved but there are still lots of unresolved mysteries. Why did Logan's mother disappear? What is the mayor up to? Why is the librarian spying on them? Hopefully, the next book will solve some of these mysteries.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrendaKlaassen
The reason why I picked-up this book is it was written by an author my son and his friends enjoy. I found the writing to be smooth reading. The characters were enjoyable to get to know. The story was believable and I think "Middle School" readers would find it an interesting read. I do plan to
Show More
finish reading the series. The author allows the reader to use their imagination, so that is a positive reason why my son and his friends read books written by this author. Show Less
LibraryThing member tigerbuns
Disclaimer: I was seriously considering giving 2 stars for that disgraceful ending, then decided I'd just leave it out of my rating, since it's possibly a personal pet peeve and I enjoyed reading the book for the most part.
The story itself was well written and fun, although definitely more for
But that ending! Honestly, authors, don't do that to your readers. The book was well on its way to being finished (I'd say it's about 98.8% done), it just needed a page or two to wrap up the book's plot, but the authors went ahead and planted a big fat cliffhangery new development right at the end instead. And this didn't just leave the book unfinished, but ruined all previous hints of closure for the book's internal plot (mild explanatory spoiler ahead): it seriously endangered the outcome of the SNAPA inspection . I was pretty disgusted about that. There were PLENTY of loose threads warranting a sequel, and that last-minute attempt at stirring things up was absolutely unnecessary. It's fine to plan a series and to leave the readers hanging on some things - that's what an overarching storyline is for - but it's not ok to give readers an unfinished book just to make them read the sequel. It's disrespectful. If you have pride in your work, let it speak for itself and let readers decide if they want more of your world.
As you can see I'm all huffy about it, and I'm not sure I *will* read the sequel. If I can't trust an author to do their part of the reader/author deal, I don't see why I should bother.
The story itself was well written and fun, although definitely more for
Show More
younger MG readers. And it must be a blast to read aloud, with great pointers for the different voices and a very distinct (and funny-cute) way for the griffin cubs to speak. It's full of magical creatures and the promise of more to come, and some tongue-in-cheek twists to those creatures (snobby unicorns, a chilling muppet of a yeti). It has a mystery that should be appealing to younger kids, with likeable main characters and good character dynamics, and hints of an interesting overarching plotline for the series. (It's also much better than Fablehaven in my opinion, but I really disliked that one.)But that ending! Honestly, authors, don't do that to your readers. The book was well on its way to being finished (I'd say it's about 98.8% done), it just needed a page or two to wrap up the book's plot, but the authors went ahead and planted a big fat cliffhangery new development right at the end instead. And this didn't just leave the book unfinished, but ruined all previous hints of closure for the book's internal plot (mild explanatory spoiler ahead):
As you can see I'm all huffy about it, and I'm not sure I *will* read the sequel. If I can't trust an author to do their part of the reader/author deal, I don't see why I should bother.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ShadowWhisp
I was going to give this five stars even though there were plot holes such as "What happened to Saturday? Why'd finding the 4th and 5th cubs happen behind the scenes? Zoe was never in Logan's house." but then I thought - this was so well written its weird there are such lazy plot holes - at which
Without the presumed plot holes it still gets five stars :P
Sutherland paces character introductions well. She weaves in hints about a threat to the Menagerie and hints about Logan's mother while the characters deal with the immediate plot of tracking griffin cubs.
Well structured and well written. Absolutely going to read book 2
Show More
point I discovered I somehow skipped chapters 23-27. Without the presumed plot holes it still gets five stars :P
Sutherland paces character introductions well. She weaves in hints about a threat to the Menagerie and hints about Logan's mother while the characters deal with the immediate plot of tracking griffin cubs.
Well structured and well written. Absolutely going to read book 2
Show Less
LibraryThing member BethYacoub
This review will be for the 3 book series as a whole because each book was just as good as the last. I listened to this audiobook with my husband and 11 year old daughter each night before bed and here I'll report what each family member's opinion was.
My 11yo: "I really liked this series. I loved
Overall:
"It's no Harry Potter (though who besides the original can be?) but it was a decent book series.
All in all I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars."
My 38 year old Husband: "this was a cute series. I personally wouldn't have picked it to read on my own but it held my interest even when it was a touch trite. The mythical creatures were the best part of the book.
Overall: it was interesting enough and everyone in the family enjoyed it. I rate it 3.5 stars."
Me: this Middle Grade book was a fun way to spend some time, listening, with the family! I won't recap the synopsis but I will say that I loved how vivid it was while still staying within the parameters of a Middle Grade read. The writing was solid and, apart from trying to figure out who was causing all the ruckus and why, I really enjoyed meeting the bevy of mythical creatures! There were the usual suspects... mermaids... gryphons... dragons... a basilisk... a kraken... a variety of were-creatures and more. The vast array of characters were introduced in a succinct/seamless manor. We, the reader/listener, were never bogged down and burried underneath a huge cast where it feels like homework trying to keep everyone straight. The characters were strong and well rounded yet they all brought something unique to the group. I adored the way the protagonists slowly learned to rely on one another and work together in a cohesive group in order to achieve success in whatever the current problem was. The pace was never stagnant (in any of the books) and it kept us guessing (almost) straight through. The ending tied things up neatly with a tidy wrapping and a pretty were-bow on top... not normally how I like my endings BUT in this Middle Grade book it worked out well.
Overall:
The Menagerie was a well written Middle Grade read with a bunch of mysteries to solve and great characters created to achieve that goal. The magic was entertaining and the backdrop just as good but the characters and fantastical creatures were the stars of this show. This is good, clean fun for the whole family and I give it a solid 4 stars.
My 11yo: "I really liked this series. I loved
Show More
that everyone had their own personalities, making it easy to tell who was who. The cliffhangers were a little anticlimactic. I also didn't like how Jasmine was made out to look like a rude, selfish, brat when she was actually really nice. I enjoyed the writing, it was so good that the author was able to make me hate certain characters with all my heart... that's talent. I wanted more time with the creatures individually. The mythical members of the story deserved more page time especially when they were interacting with Logan who also was an awesome creature whisperer."Overall:
"It's no Harry Potter (though who besides the original can be?) but it was a decent book series.
All in all I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars."
My 38 year old Husband: "this was a cute series. I personally wouldn't have picked it to read on my own but it held my interest even when it was a touch trite. The mythical creatures were the best part of the book.
Overall: it was interesting enough and everyone in the family enjoyed it. I rate it 3.5 stars."
Me: this Middle Grade book was a fun way to spend some time, listening, with the family! I won't recap the synopsis but I will say that I loved how vivid it was while still staying within the parameters of a Middle Grade read. The writing was solid and, apart from trying to figure out who was causing all the ruckus and why, I really enjoyed meeting the bevy of mythical creatures! There were the usual suspects... mermaids... gryphons... dragons... a basilisk... a kraken... a variety of were-creatures and more. The vast array of characters were introduced in a succinct/seamless manor. We, the reader/listener, were never bogged down and burried underneath a huge cast where it feels like homework trying to keep everyone straight. The characters were strong and well rounded yet they all brought something unique to the group. I adored the way the protagonists slowly learned to rely on one another and work together in a cohesive group in order to achieve success in whatever the current problem was. The pace was never stagnant (in any of the books) and it kept us guessing (almost) straight through. The ending tied things up neatly with a tidy wrapping and a pretty were-bow on top... not normally how I like my endings BUT in this Middle Grade book it worked out well.
Overall:
The Menagerie was a well written Middle Grade read with a bunch of mysteries to solve and great characters created to achieve that goal. The magic was entertaining and the backdrop just as good but the characters and fantastical creatures were the stars of this show. This is good, clean fun for the whole family and I give it a solid 4 stars.
Show Less
Awards
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2017)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2016)
Nēnē Award (Nominee — 2016)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2015)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
272 p.; 7.75 inches
ISBN
0060780665 / 9780060780661