Logan and his dad have moved to sleepy Xanadu, Wyoming, in hopes of discovering the whereabouts of Logan's missing mother. The name of the town is no coincidence, for within its boundaries lies a secret zoo of mythical creatures operated by a direct descendant of Kubla Kahn. Logan's classmate Zoe Kahn is in a pickle because six baby griffins have escaped under her watch, and she is going to be in big trouble if they don't all end up back in their enclosure. Logan and Zoe, along with their friend Blue, cleverly (and secretly) set out to track down the griffins and figure out who let them escape in the first place. Full to bursting with animated fantasy creatures, such as a histrionic phoenix who erupts into flame whenever no one pays him enough attention and a pair of haughty, passive-aggressive unicorns, this silly, delightful story begs to be read aloud. Thanks to a cliff-hanger ending and a brand new mystery on the horizon, animal lovers will eagerly anticipate more Logan and Zoe adventures.

Gr 5-8 A new arrival in small-town Xanadu, Wyoming, seventh-grader Logan spends more time than he'd like to thinking about his mother's mysterious disappearance. His life becomes exciting when he discovers a baby griffin under his bed. No bigger than a puppy, Squorp turns out to be an escapee from the Menagerie, a zoo filled with mythical creatures and run by his classmate Zoe and her family. Logan soon finds himself teamed up with Zoe and her merman friend, Blue, to find five other griffin runaways. As he helps track them down, the truth about his mother's secret life begins to surface. Meanwhile, members of SNAPA, the organization in charge of all menageries, will arrive soon for an inspection and if everything is not up to par the place will be shut down. Can the trio get the griffins back in time? Who really was Logan's mom? The characters are likable, unique, and well developed, and the narrative is filled with lively dialogue and humor. The creatures, including a pair of snooty unicorns and a charismatic but murderous kelpie, are delightful. The authors do a great job of creating an attention-grabbing magical world within the realistic setting. Readers who enjoy books like Brandon Mull's Fablehaven (Aladdin, 2007) will soak up the intermixing of mythological information and mystery. The first in a series, this page-turning fantasy will fly off library shelves. Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT