Ellen Streater received the perfect birthday present--an overnight camp-out at the zoo. Too bad she had to invite her little brother Corey along. But as night falls in the zoo, her brother becomes the least of her worries, as they discover they're locked in the zoo with an escaped convict who's stalking their every move. Unable to run, and with no help in sight, their last chance for survival is Ellen's crazy science project on animal communication. But can they get the animals to help them in time, or will it be too late?

"A compelling and fast-paced mystery with characters that are believable and well drawn." --The Horn Book

"Plausible incidents and believable characters combine in a fast-moving and well-constructed tale." --Booklist

 

This book was recognised by the Land of Enchantment Book Award.

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

There are 144 pages in this book. This book was published 2001 by Hachette Children's Group .

Peg Kehret was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Minnesota, spent fourteen years in California, and now lives with her husband in Washington State. They have two grown children, four grandchildren, one dog, and one cat. Peg's novels for children are regularly recommended by the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, and the Children's Book Council. She has won many state "young reader" or "children's choice" awards. Peg's characters are ordinary kids who find themselves in exciting situations and who use their wits to solve their problems. There is usually humor as well as suspense in her books. A long-time volunteer at The Humane Society, she often uses animals in her stories.