Poacher Panic

Gr 3–6—Action/adventure meets the animal kingdom in these titles. Zoe and Ben are 11-year-old twins and animal lovers through and through. It runs in the family—their veterinarian parents travel the world working with endangered animals. After learning that their Uncle Stephen is the head of a secret endangered-animal protection organization named WILD, the children are brought into the fold. In the first book, they head off to Sumatra to save a tiger and her cubs from poachers. While the central animal figure in Rainforest Rescue is an orangutan, the focus is on the deforestation of the South Borneo jungle. In both cases, gadgets and some clever investigating help Zoe and Ben to save the day. The stories move quickly, with a couple twists and turns to keep things interesting. The writing is succinct, if a little wooden (especially the humor). Character development is kept at a minimum—plot comes first. Black-and-white animation-inspired illustrations occasionally break up the texts and add visual appeal. Chances are good that animal lovers will enjoy these books, but overall they are merely standard fare.—Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI