Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire [Paperback]

Lesa Boutin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2007

Fifteen-year-old Amanda Noble lives in a zoo, dealing with flatulent monkeys, rowdy alligators, and thieving birds on a regular basis. But when her father begins appearing on TV with the animals, embarrassing her beyond measure, Amanda's life becomes a zoo. Any hope of normalcy is lost when a local gangster begins pressuring the Noble's to sell the zoo. Selling is out of the question, until the Noble's find themselves needing money to help a family friend who is arrested for murder. Worse yet, is Amanda's realization that her feelings for the guy who's been her best friend since kindergarten have morphed into something she no longer recognizes. Oddly, it's just another day in the life of a zookeeper extraordinaire.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Boot in the Door Publications (April 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097881830X
• ISBN-13: 978-0978818302
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,136,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic new author, December 18, 2007

By 

B. Dwyer (TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire (Paperback)

What a great story. It is filled with mystery, suspense and friendship. My son and I can't wait until we can read the next one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spunky heroine who loves animals, March 13, 2008

By 

Carmen Ferreiro "Author Two Moon Princess" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire (Paperback)

It is not everyday you meet a girl who lives in a zoo, a girl who handles snakes and alligators with the ease you walk your dog, unless, that is, you are lucky enough to get your hands in the book Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire by Lesa Boutin.
Amanda is a spunky sixteen years old, mature beyond her age one moment, flawed and clumsy the next. She is a delightful character you will root for from the first chapter.
As we meet her, Amanda is watching her father make a fool of himself in live TV at an animal show lamely called Getting Up With the Chickens. Amanda is deeply embarrassed, annoyed at her best friend Kyler who finds the whole thing hilarious.
But soon Amanda forgets her embarrassment as she learns her father is about to lose the zoo. His friend, Bogey, has been accused of murder and Amanda's father has pawned the zoo to the local mafia to raise funds for his bail. And so, unless they find a way to clear his name, Amanda will loose the place she calls home and the animals she loves.
Throw in Amanda's sudden, unwelcome crash on Kyler, a mysterious stranger, a soft-hearted goon and a hero who faints at the most unlikely moments and you will soon find yourself as happily lost in Amanda's world as I was.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 13, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire (Paperback)

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.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose