Zebra forest

When eleven-year-old Annie first started lying to her social worker, she had been taught by an expert: Gran. She told Annie and her little brother, Rew, the one thing they know about their father: that he was killed in a fight with an angry man who was sent away. Annie tells stories, as she and Rew laze under the birches and oaks of Zebra Forest -- stories about their father the pirate, or pilot, or secret agent. But then something shocking happens to unravel all their stories: a rattling at the back door, an escapee from the prison holding them hostage in their own home, four lives that will never be the same. Driven by suspense and psychological intrigue, this novel deftly portrays an unfolding standoff of truth against family secrets, and offers an affecting look at two resourceful, imaginative kids as they react and adapt to the hand they've been dealt.

Eleven-year-old Annie and her younger brother are being raised by their gran and are surrounded by family secrets, but everything changes when an escaped criminal shows up at their house and takes them hostage.

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Chris Blocker

Expectations can harm a book's ratings as much as a poorly orchestrated story or a badly drawn character. That may be the case here. When I first read the plot synopsis of Zebra Forest I thought ‘Here's a book filled with magic. This may even be metafiction!!!' Zebra Forest is neither of these things—it's a straight-forward slow and thoughtful story, a story about family, truth, and redemption.

Despite not being all I had hoped, Zebra Forest did prove something to me. In 2012, I set out to discover whether children's and young adult lit had any merit. I've read some good stories (mostly okay ones), but until Zebra Forest I hadn't read one that was anything more than a “good story.” Children's books are filled with faced-paced, plot-driven action where the characters are flat and there is never a time—for the characters or the reader—to pause and reflect. Zebra Forest proves this doesn't have to be the case as this is a very character-driven and thoughtful novel where the plot takes a backseat.

Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with this one. The long ramblings about Treasure Island were lost on me. Setting the story in 1980 allowed parallels to be drawn to the Iranian occupation of the American embassy, but didn't seem to help this story. I couldn't identify with Annie and Rew, not because they were children, but because they were foreign to me.

Regardless of my personal inability to relate to the novel and to enjoy it greatly, I recognize that Zebra Forest is well done. I recommend it for anyone seeking more thought-provoking children's literature. And it has given me hope. Good literature knows no age limit—now I must seek out that book I know must be out there.