The Secret Zoo

“The window blew gentle ripples through his ivory-colored drapes. He shivered. The drapes looked like ghosts.”

Chick uses ghostly imagery to invoke sinister and chilling sensations that mimic the sensory experience of the character who “shivers.”

“Why had Megan been making trips to the zoo without telling the family? And how had a langur got hold of a page from her notebook?”

Noah begins to ask the kinds of questions he needs to ask to fill in his knowledge gaps. Megan already has the knowledge he’s chasing, and he cannot follow her footsteps strictly, so he must experience and learn for himself rather than rely on Megan.

“This is where Megan sat not long ago.”

Even though he begins to experience his journey, Noah still relies too heavily on Megan's past knowledge. At this moment, he also regrets that his bond with his sister was not enough to earn her trust. His recognition that they are sitting in the same place at different times creates pathos and shows that he misses her, highlighting their physical separation and his longing to be close to her again.

“When he finished, he clutched it to his chest and declared ‘I can not do this alone.’”

Noah’s words do not reflect his future actions. Though he brings Richie and Ella into his confidence because he claims he cannot do this alone, he will try to do it alone for the rest of the novel, while Richie and Ella will be the ones to work together and help each other and Noah. He ironically speaks the truth here, but his actions don’t follow his own knowledge as he is his own obstacle.

“Don’t say anything […] If Blizzard doesn’t trust this guy, we don’t either.”

Chick draws on the theme of The Need to Conserve Nature by focusing on animals’ survival instincts. Animals work to preserve themselves, and they will instinctually avoid anything that brings them harm, such as the wrong people.

“The flashlight fish started to blink, and Noah was reminded of a magical night sky filled with winking stars.”

The imagery here creates a vivid image of the night sky to show the reader what the Chamber of Lights looks like. While the imagery is explicit, the author also targets a younger audience, keeping his images within the scope of what a middle grade reader would recognize and using simple vocabulary.

“There was no sound or movement—just a sudden blinding burst of light. The Scouts fell backwards and covered their faces.”

This marks the first appearance of magic in the novel. The occurrence is emphasized as a remarkable surprise through the reaction of the Scouts, which also adds humor to the scene.

“Was that true? How could she know? She couldn’t. That was the problem.”

The novel often plays on the boundary between reality and perception. Ella, Noah, and Richie are able to learn and overcome challenges because they acknowledge and process things that are confusing or frustrating for them. This is an example of modeling for middle grade readers.

“I can’t wait for morning. I can’t wait for Ella and Richie. This needs to be done now.”

Noah isolates himself and represents the lonely path. His journey symbolizes the journey of someone who tries to accomplish their goals alone rather than asking for help when they need it.

“Then he vanished. But not in the all-at-once way that an imaginary thing disappears. Rather, he dissolved. It was as if he’d melted into the shadows.”

Again, playing with the confusion between perception and reality, the author plays with ideas of reality and fiction with the Shadow Master—he disappears like something “real” rather than something imaginary. Here, the novel both challenges the idea of “fiction” and suggests that the characters could have imagined the Shadow Master.

“Then something magical happened. The key transformed. Its ridges melted and its bumpy edge became smooth.”

While magic, the key represents the flexibility of problem-solving and the benefits of outside assistance.

“Ella turned back to look at the sign over the entrance to the exhibit. She’d seen it too many times to count, but reading it now was like reading it for the first time.”

Though Ella has seen this sign many times, she has never noticed it. The novel invites readers to consider familiar parts of their world and investigate them closer to take in details one might otherwise miss. This is a typical aspect of children’s adventure literature, which encourages and utilizes children’s instinct to make-believe around mundane objects.

“Not a second later, the floor fell out from under them. The Scouts plummeted into the unknown reaches of the dark earth.”

When Ella and Richie fall, they cross the threshold between their world and the magical world. Once the barrier goes back up, they cannot return to their world without going forward and without changing based on their new experiences. This experience is an allegory for growing up.

“Noah could hear Blizzard breathing; he could even feel the bursts of warm air across his back. The chill slowly eased out of his body.”

This moment creates a clear picture using multiple senses to draw the reader in. By including sound and feeling, Chick makes a more encompassing image to engage readers with a sensation they otherwise would be unfamiliar with.

“Besides all this, the city contained something even more spectacular. Animals—thousands of them. They crowded everywhere and rushed in all directions. Zebras, tigers, camels, pandas, hippos—every animal imaginable.”

While the architecture of the City of Species is unique, Ella and Richie find it is nothing compared to the various animals cohabitating in the city. The city represents the ability to co-exist with others unlike us.

“Ella had no time to stop them. It took only seconds for every prairie dog that followed Richie to fall over the edge. She could do nothing but scream.”

This moment is difficult for Ella; she wants to do something to save the prairie dogs but cannot. She watches as a catastrophe happens, enacting the horror of the scene for the reader.

“As soon as everyone was safely planted on a sturdy, wide branch in the new tree, the woodpeckers descended on the fallen branch and started to work their red-plumed heads like miniature jackhammers.”

Noah, Ella, and Richie need help escaping the police monkeys, but they do not have the skillset necessary to flee the animals on the present terrain. It requires help from those who live in the Forest of Flight—the birds made for the biome—to help find a creative solution to the problem.

“Well, Mr. Britannica, do you mind telling me how an extinct bird that can’t fly is flying around being…not extinct?”

Preconceived notions can be stronger than the reality in front of someone. Richie, who “knows” dodo birds are extinct, cannot comprehend how or why dodo birds are before him and can understand even less why they’re flying. He cannot see the potential of nature because he focuses on what appears natural.

“But I must warn you. The story is filled with such magic and sadness that few believe it.”

Mr. Darby speaks to the children while also making a social commentary. People tend to believe what they can see, and when things venture too far from their preconceived notions, they choose not to accept it rather than consider an alternative. When Darby says this, he asks whether the children can believe the unbelievable.

“Mr. Jackson instructed his crews to construct something to replace the cages. Unfortunately, no one had an idea that wasn’t based on extending the walls of the cages.”

Mr. Jackson symbolizes the visionaries who push the limits of what’s possible and dream of how the world around them can change. His workers, on the other hand, represent people who hold onto what’s current and real without thought for what potentially could be.

“Though the Secret Society once operated in isolated groups, the members were very effective. The earth has ways to conceal the truth, and the Secret Society found them.”

Nature works to protect itself, and the Secret Society uses that self-preservation instinct to emphasize the importance of others helping environmental conservation. While nature can do some of the work—such as creating space for creatures to hide—it cannot do all the work. It requires assistance from people choosing to help every day.

“A man who walks in the shadows—who literally draws breath from the shadows. Some claim he’s a myth, a legend. But I believe he is hunting for our Secret Zoo—hunting for the source of our power and magic.”

This marks the first instance where the Shadow Master becomes a real entity rather than an ambiguous force. Mr. DeGraff, who began the chain of events that led to the Secret Zoo’s founding, becomes more real; this moment builds up to him taking form for the reader in the final chapter.

“Ella was quiet. Noah saw that she finally understood that he intended to leave this place with Megan…or not at all.”

Part of trusting The Powerful Bonds of Friendship is knowing when a friend cannot be persuaded away from a course of action. Instead of forcing Noah’s hand, Ella makes alternate plans and prepares their friends to help Noah should he need it. She trusts him, and she will do what she can to protect him even if he believes he can handle everything alone.