Wild animals running free in a small town - sounds wacky. But it is not a humorous story. In fact, the animals play mostly a peripheral part in the story of Ronney whose life is in turmoil.
Ronney's dad tried to commit suicide a few year's ago and only managed to injure himself. Since then in his state of depression, he barely leaves his room and says little to his family. Ronney has worked to keep the house repaired. He also has stepped up to emotionally support his younger sister. Ronney is really angry at his dad for trying to abandon them and then just barely existing while the family's lives go on. And he lets his dad know it, too. Any chance he gets, Ronney reminds his dad about how worthless he is.
Ronney and George have been best friends forever. The thing is George is a girl and Ronney has more than just friendly feelings for her. Jello, his other friend, tries to convince Ronney to help him photograph some of the animals to help propel his career as a photographer.
And what is with the kid who keeps showing up saying Ronney stole his jeans. One, it's annoying. Two, it's creeping him out. And Ronney has never met him before.
Ronney is angry at everything which is not an endearing quality for a character. He isn't mean to people because he is a jerk; he really seemed to have things working against him. But I kept reading to see how Ronney dealt with his anger and his life (and do they get all those animals running amok?).
For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.
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