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'Twelve-year-old Zackary is the seventh son of the King and Queen of Solaris, and a most reluctant knight. He would rather put anchovies in the knights helmets or use his sword to cut sandwiches than learn courtly ways. In despair, the King and Queen assign him to the castle administrator, Barnabas, who sends him on an errand to the Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures, established by Zackary's grandfather.
'Mistaken for a job applicant, Zackary starts working at the zoo with the resident sorcerer, Acacia. Powerful magic is needed to control some of the extraordinary creatures in the zoo: from the Stymphalian birds of Greek mythology and the nine-headed hydra, to manticores from India and the squonks - Drufflefuster, Gobblesnocks, Snivelsnork and Grimelgrout...
'But just as Zackary is settling in to his double life, a shadow is cast across the entire kingdom with the news that a strange creature is expected at the zoo - a creature which spreads evil and destruction in its path.' (Publisher's blurb)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Friday Essay: Feminist Medusas and Outback Minotaurs – Why Myth Is Big in Children’s Books
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 3 June 2016;'... Monsters from classical myth have been lurking in the gullies of Western literature for a long time – in retellings and adaptations, and acting as symbols and metaphors for aspects of the human experience.'
'They’ve been surfacing recently in fantasy for children and young adults. Imaginary Medusas, realistically drawn Minotaurs, as well as a multitude of many-headed Scyllas, Hydras and Cerberuses: they all appear in Australian children’s and YA fiction. ...'
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Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of The Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 53 no. 3 2009; (p. 31)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of The Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 53 no. 3 2009; (p. 18-19) -
[Review] The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Books Buzz , April no. 8 2009; (p. 20-22)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Buzz Words , 1 June no. 61 2009; (p. 36-37)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction
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Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , March vol. 88 no. 6 2009; (p. 25)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
[Untitled]
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , March vol. 24 no. 1 2009; (p. 32)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
Myriad Tales Offer Worlds of Vision
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 7 June 2009; (p. 11)
— Review of Fire Song 2009 single work children's fiction ; Out of the Blue 2009 single work children's fiction ; The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
Untitled
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Buzz Words , 1 June no. 61 2009; (p. 36-37)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
[Review] The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Books Buzz , April no. 8 2009; (p. 20-22)
— Review of The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures 2009 single work children's fiction -
The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of The Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 53 no. 3 2009; (p. 18-19) -
Friday Essay: Feminist Medusas and Outback Minotaurs – Why Myth Is Big in Children’s Books
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 3 June 2016;'... Monsters from classical myth have been lurking in the gullies of Western literature for a long time – in retellings and adaptations, and acting as symbols and metaphors for aspects of the human experience.'
'They’ve been surfacing recently in fantasy for children and young adults. Imaginary Medusas, realistically drawn Minotaurs, as well as a multitude of many-headed Scyllas, Hydras and Cerberuses: they all appear in Australian children’s and YA fiction. ...'