Wish you could find more giggle-inducing books for young girls-or books for kids age 6-8 who are obsessed with birds and furry pets? Then try...Sleepover ZooToni only wants one thing: To get through 6th grade at her new school without everyone finding out that her family is crazy-and there's a zoo in their basement. When the most popular girl in school insists that Toni have a sleepover, it looks like Toni's dream of being normal is about to be smashed.Toni tries to get her new friend, Meghan, to help-but Meghan's first visit to Toni's home ends badly, thanks to a surprise encounter with frozen mice. Then a missing snake and bossy parrot only make things worse. If Toni can't get out of this sleepover, the whole school will find out her family is not normal.This wacky tale is packed with fun, feathers and friendship-and a sleepover that no one will ever forget.A Personal Note From The Author: The idea for this novel came from a real-life wild bird care center that I worked in for several years. It was run by a kind-hearted family who took in any bird (and animal) that people found on the streets-and, wow, they found a lot! Like Toni's family, we cared for a one-legged goose, a hawk with a broken wing, sparrows, owls, baby pigeons, snakes, abandoned kittens and more. During the two years that I worked there, I lost dozens of cups of coffee because their caffeine-addicted parrot would perch on my cup as soon as my head was turned, and then would NOT let me have it back until he'd drunk it all or had tipped it over. Like Leona, I lost a pretty gold earring when their parrot decided it was a tick and chewed it off before I could stop him. I spent many lunches trying to keep my food away from their always-hungry Great Dane and, like Toni, I finally got used to opening up the big basement freezer and seeing bags of dead mice beside the ice cream! The one thing I never quite got used to? Being chased out of their bathroom every day by a very annoyed one-legged goose who was convinced that the tub was his (despite the fact that it was the only bathroom in the house, so we all had to use it!). Taking care of injured birds is a ton of work, but it was the most fun job I've ever had, and I learned more about wildlife than I could ever have imagined. I had a blast writing this story and reliving all of those wonderful memories, and I'm glad I can now share them with fun-loving kids.If you're on the look-out for great chapter books for kids age 8-10-or books for girls of any age-then this one's for you!Want to read more? Just scroll up and click the Look Inside feature on the top left hand side of the page.
Brenda Kearns lives in Ontario, Canada, with her seven kids, two cats, and a fat, three-legged Great Dane. Brenda worked as a science teacher until she realized that writing was a lot more fun-and having a home office meant she could work in her pajamas. You can visit her at brendakearns.com.
