The Hippo at the End of the Hall

July 15, 2019
A young boy tries to preserve a mysterious natural history museum. Ben Makepeace has lived with his single mom in a basement apartment since his dad was lost at sea when Ben was 3. Receiving a cryptic invitation to "come now or come never" to the Gee Museum, Ben ignores his mother's advice and bikes to the museum, which he finds closed. In a nearby cafe, Ben overhears Julian Pike, an unscrupulous real estate developer, and Tara Snow, a predatory museum director, plotting to ruin the Gee if its elderly owner refuses to sell to them. Returning to the Gee, Ben senses he's been there before with his father and learns from exhibit animals--a shrew, a hippo, an owl, and a chameleon--how his future depends on preventing the Gee's sale. When Pike and Snow take desperate measures, Ben unleashes dangerous "wild magic" within the museum and discovers his immutable connection to the Gee family. This supernatural tale of self-discovery in a setting of rare natural history specimens delivers a credible hero, folktale threads, memorable characters, and family bonds. Cooper's worldbuilding seems endlessly inventive, the characters that inhabit the museum fully realized, up to and including the storytelling bees. Delicate, detailed pencil drawings track the drama and depict the principals as white. Unusual, fascinating, fast-paced. (author's note) (Fantasy. 8-10)

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October 1, 2019

Gr 2-5-When a mysterious invitation to the Gee museum arrives at Ben's house, he's sure it's for him. Although his mother discourages him, Ben sneaks off to the museum, where he finds a menagerie of talking taxidermied animals, a colony of magic bees, and a host of oddities all in danger of losing their home. As the museum's troubles are revealed, Ben also learns about other secrets while working to save the collections from an evil developer and a rival museum. This fanciful tale will keep readers interested from the outset. The talking animals and miraculous museum are intriguing, and the illustrations are inviting. The fantasy is perfectly integrated into the fast-moving plot. There is a slightly evil witch, but overall the story is accessible to a wide age range. VERDICT Readers who are just beyond Mary Pope Osborne's "The Magic Treehouse" but not quite ready for J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" will find this a great fit. A fantastical, captivating illustrated novel that will appeal to many young fantasy readers.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
Grades 3-5 In a musty, forgotten museum, an old woman lives amid curious collections, a plethora of taxidermy, and unexpected secrets. And it's to this place, the Gee Museum, that Ben Makepeace receives an invitation, delivered by bees. His curiosity is understandably piqued, but when he sneaks out to pay the museum a visit, it's disappointingly closed. Then, at a nearby caf�, Ben overhears a couple of adults scheming to get their hands on that very museum. He dashes back to warn the old woman, and when the door opens, he's greeted by many unusual sights, most notably certain exhibits coming to life. Picture-book creator Cooper weaves magic and mystery through her debut novel, wonderfully bringing the past to life and enhancing the present, as Ben endeavors to save the Gee Museum from a devious real-estate developer. Along the way, he learns of his family's history, draws upon knowledge gleaned from folktales, and befriends the museum's animals. Cooper incorporates many chapter illustrations, which add further charm to this uncommonly enchanting novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)