Don't Feed the Boy

Irene Latham, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Roaring Brook Press

Download Image Irene Latham, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin Don't Feed the Boy
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No kid knows more about zoo life than Whit. That's because he sleeps, eats and even attends home-school at the Meadowbrook Zoo. It's one of the perks of having a mother who's the zoo director and a father who's the head elephant keeper. Now that he's eleven, Whit feels trapped by the rules and routine of zoo life. With so many exotic animals, it's easy to get overlooked. But when Whit notices a mysterious girl who visits every day to draw the birds, suddenly the zoo becomes much more interesting. Who is the Bird Girl? And why does she come by herself to the zoo?

Determined to gain her trust, Whit takes the Bird Girl on his own personal tour of the zoo. He shows her his favorite animals and what happens with them behind the scenes. For Whit, having a friend his own age that he can talk to is an exciting new experience. For Stella the Bird Girl, the zoo and Whit are a necessary escape from her chaotic home life. Together they take risks in order to determine where it is they each belong. But when Stella asks Whit for an important and potentially dangerous favor, Whit discovers how complicated friendship and freedom-- can be.

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Book Excerpts

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1 FIELD STUDY
 
 
Whit waited for the toucan to turn its head before he stepped past the iron gate. He’d lived his whole life at the Meadowbrook Zoo, and until today he’d never disobeyed the three basic rules his parents set for him:
1. Don’t feed the animals.
2. Schoolwork comes first.
3. Don’t leave the zoo property for any reason.
He’d done everything that was expected of him. He hadn’t fed the animals, even though Whit knew what treats they liked and had full access to the animal kitchens.

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Reviews

Praise for Don't Feed the Boy

"Feed this to animal fans.”--Kirkus
 
"This is solid storytelling." -- School Library Journal

In the Press

Children's Review: Don’t Feed the Boy by Irene Latham, illus. by Stephanie Graegin. Roaring Brook, $15.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-59643-755-5
Living at the zoo sounds pretty sweet, but 11-year-old Whit has soured on the experience, having spent his whole life at the Meadowbrook Zoo in Alabama, which is run by his busy and distracted parents
- Publishers Weekly

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About the Author

Irene Latham, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Irene Latham is a poet and novelist who lives and writes in Birmingham, Alabama. Her debut novel Leaving Gee's Bend was named a Bank Street College Best Book, a SIBA finalist, a Crystal Kite Finalist and ALLA's Children's Book of the Year. As a child she dreamed of being a zoo veterinarian and even trained as a teenage zoo volunteer. All it took was observing one surgery to convince her that perhaps she'd better just write about the animals instead. Visit her at www.irenelatham.com

Stephanie Graegin received her BFA in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Pratt Institute. Stephanie lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Irene Latham
Stephanie Graegin

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Don't Feed the Boy
Irene Latham, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Hardcover

Hardcover
Roaring Brook Press
October 2012
Hardcover
ISBN: 9781596437555
ISBN10: 1596437553
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 x 7 1/2 inches, 288 pages, black and white line illustrations throughout
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 7
$15.99
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e-Book Agency

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e-Book Agency
Roaring Brook Press
October 2012
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781596438330
ISBN10: 1596438339
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 x 7 1/2 inches, 288 pages
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 7
$9.99
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