Amanda Noble,
Zookeeper Extraordinaire
by Lesa Boutin

    AMANDA NOBLE, ZOOKEEPER EXTRAORDINAIRE by Lesa Boutin
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  4/13/07
    Publisher:  Boot in the Door Publications
    Reviewed by:  Allison Fraclose
    Rating:  5 Stars


    No matter how much her best friend, Kyler, swears it, 15-year-old Amanda Noble will never think her dorky dad
    is cool.

    Sure, he bought a zoo in honor of her zoologist mom, but does he have to drive around in a zebra-striped truck that
    has the Tarzan yell for a horn, and consistently embarrass her by doing those regular “Getting Up With the
    Chickens” spots on the morning show? He’s been even worse since Amanda’s mother passed away, ignoring the
    bills that now threaten to shut down Noble’s Ark. It’s all Amanda can do to keep things running while her dad
    pretends to be some sort of animal superhero.

    Things get even tougher when a mobster shows up one day, offering money to buy the zoo. Amanda knows her
    father would never sell, but when a family friend finds himself accused of a crime, Amanda’s father is forced to put
    their business at risk in order to help him.

    Suddenly, Amanda’s life is even more of a zoo than before, with mob goons staking out the grounds, a crime to
    solve, and the absolute worst—an unexpected jealousy over Kyler’s new relationship with the airheaded Vanessa.

    Amanda’s going to have to take matters into her own hands if anything about this miserable situation is to turn out
    right.

    Boutin gives us a fresh, interesting voice in Amanda, a realistic girl who lives in extraordinary circumstances. This is
    one story to laugh-out-loud with, and which will appeal to the hearts of any girl who both loves and hates to be a
    little bit different.