Fifth-grader Kit gets a job writing a children's column for the local newspaper and discovers who has been sneaking into the Cincinnati Zoo. This is a longer story than Meet Kit, but the characters remain thinly developed. The mystery pointedly teaches readers about life during the Depression. An illustrated afterword provides some more history about the zoo.

Gr 3-5-This book is for readers who have gone through the "American Girl" series and are moving up to slightly longer stories. Sixth-grader Kit is a child of the Great Depression, and her family takes in boarders to help make ends meet. Kit gets an assignment at the local newspaper to write "fun, wholesome" stories and decides to focus on a friend's volunteer work as a zoo tour guide. Another friend, Will, is back from some hard times on the road and gets a job at the zoo. When the monkey house doors are found unlocked and food is missing from the boarding house, Will is blamed. In the end, Kit gets her story, saves Will's job, and thwarts the real criminals in the nick of time. The book concludes with factual information about the Cincinnati Zoo. The action is moderately paced, and there is ample description to bring the story to life. While Ernst does a fairly good job setting out the trail with Kit picking up the clues, the novel is unlikely to be a first choice among mystery fans. However, those who love "American Girl" will be clamoring for it.-Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.