Nine-year-old Henry thinks his summer with Grandpa will be boring—until he discovers a forgotten zoo hidden deep in the woods. The cages are empty, the signs are faded, and the gates are locked… until a strange caretaker appears and tells Henry the zoo is full of children.
When Henry steps inside, he learns the terrible truth—by day he’s trapped as a beast, and only at night does he return to being a boy. To break the curse and escape Ms. Twingle’s twisted zoo, Henry must find courage he never knew he had—or risk being trapped there forever.
A perfect story for readers 9 and up who enjoy magical, heartfelt adventures like The Magician’s Elephant.
Travis Raish writes emotionally charged young adult science fiction and heartfelt middle-grade adventures about ordinary kids facing extraordinary worlds. His stories blend high-concept mystery, grounded character arcs, and emotional truths that stay with readers long after the last page.
He is the author of the Wonderfall trilogy—a coming-of-age sci-fi epic series about identity, friendship, and the cost of knowing too much—as well as the standalone middle-grade novel, Trapped in Twingle’s Twilight Zoo.
Travis lives in Georgia, where he builds worlds and writes stories for readers who love twisty plots, unexpected moments, and characters with big hearts. When he’s not writing, he is probably having an adventure with his wife and kids, getting swept up by a blockbuster on the big screen, or exploring his local library for another captivating book to read.