Zoobreak

Ben wakes to the freed ferret clinging to his blankets. When he tries to put it in a drawer for the day, the creature clings to him, curling up under his shirt, so Ben brings it to school. The breakout at the zoo is all over the news, and the fake name Logan gave the security guard is believed to be behind the theft. In addition, a neighborhood dog was attacked by an owl matching the freed owl’s description. As the group discusses all this, Darren overhears and figures out that the group went through with the zoobreak. He wants to sell some of the animals, but the group denies having them. Darren shrugs this off and leaves, saying, “[T]his kid Ferris Atwater, Jr. kind of reminds me of you, Kellerman” (140).

To no one’s surprise, keeping the animals hidden and completely comfortable is hit or miss. While Melissa’s prairie dog blends seamlessly in with her stuffed animals and Logan’s basement has become an ecosystem, Pitch stuck the chipmunks’ mouths closed with peanut butter, and the loon, a type of aquatic bird, is starting to draw attention in the pond near Savannah’s house. Despite all the things that are going right, Griffin is worried because he’s sure “something was going to go wrong.