The Zoo at the Edge of the World

Between the ages of twelve and nineteen, you don't much like to go into the children's section at the bookstore. You like to declare that you are no longer a child, that you are reading other things. And then you get older and decide that you'll read whatever you care to whenever you care to. You realize, as C.S. Lewis used to say, that age groups matter very little. I still, however, sometimes feel odd quietly walking over to the children's section, usually on a mission for a specific title--yet it's always worth it.

Eric Kahn Gale should be a familiar name to anyone who watches/keeps up with Team Starkid's productions. His first book was The Bully Book, which I read first as an ebook before it came out in print. That book was touching in its portrayal of social systems, outcasts, and bullying. This next book is completely different and yet still along similar lines. 

The Zoo at the Edge of the World (described as being for ages 8-12) is about a boy whose father is an explorer who has started a zoo in South America to show people not to fear the wild. This setting is unique, with a touch of adventure, a touch of fantasy, a touch of historical. I think of this place and it's unlike anywhere else; it sparks my imagination just by its very name. The plot of the book follows suit: it's entertaining, with some suspense and some mystery and some good old fun. 

And then there are the themes. What makes The Zoo at the Edge of the World most like The Bully Book is the theme of the outsider. Though he has his father's respect and gets along well with the animals at the zoo, no one else (not even his brother) understands or heeds Marlin. He has to deal with making his own choices without really being accepted or cared about--he has to figure out how, despite the trouble he faces, he can make his impact on the world he lives in. Marlin is a stutterer who cannot communicate with people, only with animals--that is his bane and that is what enables him to rise above the things that hold other, more capable people (even his own father) down. Thematically, this book rises high. You can look at it as an ethical commentary about the treatment of animals or industrialization of land. You can take out themes of greed, fear, revenge, acceptance, and courage. 

I was steeped in Beowulf when I read The Bully Book, so I kept making comparisons to Grendel there. Now The Zoo at the Edge of the World reminds me of Heart of Darkness, that beautifully written book about journeying deep into man's journey in the world and discovering his capacity for all sorts of emotions and actions throughout his life. Come to think of it, Marlin sounds a lot like Marlow, doesn't it?

The Bully Book in Print

When the YouTube channel for Team StarKid (the group behind A Very Potter Musical and others) released a book trailer for The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale last month, I was surprised to find a question in the comments wondering why StarKid was promoting this book. I was also surprised to find that many other commenters who were planning on getting the book hadn't heard of it before. I read the book over a year ago--and they call themselves StarKids?

You see, this book came out in 2011 as an ebook, self-published by the author. I even wrote a ridiculous (or not so ridiculous) comparison of The Bully Book to John Gardner's Grendel. I would recommend you go back and read that post (link here) because, in it, I also placed some general commentary on The Bully Book. While I was concerned I might not have given it the attention it deserved, in looking back at my post I find that I stated the gist of things correctly (of course, certain comments are out of date now and not applicable to the new, print edition of the book).

One thing I would like to add came into mind after I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday to buy the hard copy. After glancing at the post-holiday sales, I wandered into the children's section--and it had been a while since I'd been in there. It's such a partitioned off section that it almost feels like I'm not supposed to spend much time there, being older than twelve years old. (Although this wasn't as silly as the time I went there to buy books for a college class--that made me giggle.) Why, tell me, is this book (and many other books) labeled for an age group? Just because the characters are in 6th grade, does it follow that the readers must be in 6th grade? In fact, I think that this book might end up more meaningful to people who are older, at least in their early twenties--I am already finding it more meaningful now than I did back when I read it in September 2011. It's looking back on experiences of youth like this that can bring about a powerful reading experience. But I digress: I mean to say nothing against this particular book's labeling (since all books are forced into labels)--I only mean to encourage other people who are outside of its age group to give the book a try.

You'll also notice a funny thing about the book jacket: it only covers the bottom two-thirds of the book. I was wondering why it should be this way, until I took it off to discover, underneath, The Book. How nifty! It's like having the novel and a piece of book merch all in one (and, yes, you have to have read at least some of the book to see what I'm talking about).

So for fans of StarKid, fans of YA, and fans of fiction on social structures/relationships, The Bully Book is worth picking up. Oh, yes, and for the StarKids, you'll want to watch the group (along with Eric Kahn Gale, of course) reading the first sections of the book and answering a few questions.

The Bully Book and Grendel

Have I mentioned that I'm taking four English classes this semester (that's out of a total of five classes)? So I'm always reading so many things at once that they all start to (inevitably, just like everyone describes) merge together and express the same sorts of ideas. But I wasn't expecting my little aside book I was reading to align so closely with a book for ENG 320: Medieval Monsters and Modern Night-Stalkers.

The former book is The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale, of Starkid connections (maybe someday I will write about my late discovery of Starkid). I had been wanting this book (which is available only digitally, either from iTunes or in Kindle edition) for some time and finally downloaded it Tuesday morning. I was especially curious about it because of its connection to Little White Lie. So I started reading during my commute to school . . . then stayed up late (well, not that late for me, I guess) reading (for a long enough time, though, that my tiny iPhone screen was starting to bother my eyes). Wednesday I was sad because I only had time for a few minutes' reading in the morning (I was just so busy doing schoolwork right up to midnight). Finally, I was able to finish today (yes, three days is a long time--this is a short book that begs you to turn the digital pages).

Now, I must agree with some of the reviews of the book--there are too many typos in it. Typos that seem to be explaining why it is "only a digital book." But hopefully there will be future editions of the book to remedy this (and take the chance for extra improvements to the text, too, right?).

But I liked this book overall. The main premise is that there is a book a fifth grader developed teaching future generations/years how to put themselves at the top of the social ladder . . . and someone else at the bottom. Half the book is in journals from a boy who is, in his year, placed at the bottom. So The Bully Book takes on all these issues of social adjustment and changes that happen in school, why people bully others, and how it feels to be at the different "levels." Rather concisely and acutely, too, I might add (which makes for a definite value in this book).

The connection I was referring to has to do with John Gardner's book Grendel, which is of course inspired by Beowulf. This book, from Grendel's perspective, explores what it means to be a social outcast and what you may be driven to do based on that. Sound familiar? Eric Haskins (from The Bully Book) and Grendel have a few things in common. Except for the fact that Grendel has inherent "strange" qualities, and Eric's fault (the reason he is chosen to be the bottom rung) is that he is completely "normal." And that Eric tries to put himself back in his places, while Grendel "knows" he cannot and therefore doesn't try. But, really, reading these two books at the same time was almost disturbing because of the degree that they overlapped. I would expect the books in different classes to do this, but a random little somebody's-first-book expressing the same ideas as a book based on a piece of classic literature?

Now that's what I call the wonderfulness of books.