The Great Zoodini

A laugh-out-loud young middle grade animal caper about a fennec fox whose penchant for escaping his enclosures—in a bid to become world-famous—lands him in the midst of a mysterious plot at a wildlife sanctuary, from the author of the Horace & Bunwinkle series.

A hilarious and heartwarming story of forgiveness, trust, and found family, perfect for fans of A Boy Called Bat and Wedgie & Gizmo.

The Great Zoodini—a.k.a. Radar the fennec fox—has never fit in. In fact, his only friend is a stuffed rabbit. Ever since his first family abandoned him, he’s had one goal: become world-famous and show everyone how wrong they were about him. But no matter how many times Zoodini’s broken out, he’s never even made the Association of Animal-Themed Attractions newsletter.

When his latest escape goes wrong, Zoodini winds up at the Twin Buttes Animal Sanctuary and Drive-In Movie Theater. He can’t believe his bad luck. How can he get famous in the middle of nowhere? But the residents—ranging from a pink-obsessed flamingo to an astrology-loving river otter to a grizzly cub who thinks he’s a superhero—all seem to like Zoodini. Even more surprising, he likes them too.

Then Zoodini overhears a plot to sell the sanctuary and sees his big chance—breaking out by himself would go unnoticed, but breaking everyone out? That would make him world-famous. But what if being famous means losing the only family who’s ever accepted him?

PJ Gardner is the author of the middle grade Horace & Bunwinkle series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and sons as well as her Boston terriers, Rosie and Rocky.