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    Zebra Forest
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    Zebra Forest
    Unavailable
    Zebra Forest
    Audiobook4 hours

    Zebra Forest

    Written by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

    Narrated by Kate Reinders

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When eleven-year-old Annie first started lying to her social worker, she had been taught by an expert: Gran. "If you're going to do something, make sure you do it with excellence," Gran would say. That was when Gran was feeling talkative, and not brooding for days in her room-as she did after telling Annie and her little brother, Rew, the one thing they know about their father: that he was killed in a fight with an angry man who was sent away. Annie and Rew spend their days under the birches and oaks of the Zebra Forest, telling stories about their father the pirate, or pilot, or secret agent. But then something shocking happens to unravel all their stories: a rattling at the back door, an escapee from the prison holding them hostage in their own home, four lives that will never be the same.

    This deeply compelling, emotionally evocative, and grippingly suspenseful look at the complicated fallout from long-held family secrets is impossible to forget.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateApr 9, 2013
    ISBN9781469275574
    Unavailable
    Zebra Forest

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    Reviews for Zebra Forest

    3.5/5

    78 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This quiet, sad book does some unusual things. I was struck by the relationship between the kids and their grandmother, that she struggles with dementia but is nevertheless probably the best caretaker they're going to get -- and their social worker knows it. That's not obviously the right decision, but I could see why everyone involved was making it. The same can be said for relationship choices later in the story, and told in flashback. I respect the shades of grey; nothing is tied up neatly with a bow here.

      That said, for a short book with escaped convicts and a dangerous forest and summer adventures, very little happens. I found it lovely, but it will be a hard sell for almost any kid I know.

    • 3/5
      children's middlegrade fiction. Annie (11) and Rew (7 or 8?, her little brother) were left by their mom to the care of their grandmother and have been told all their lives that their dad was killed long ago by an angry man. As the story unfolds and the family is taken "hostage" by an escaped prisoner (who turns out to be--you guessed it), the children realize that is not exactly true--in fact, their dad was the angry man, in jail all these years for manslaughter. The story doesn't feel quite complete--the dad leaves abruptly after a couple months without incident (turning himself back in to the police) and there are other issues not quite dealt with, but there is enough substance here to make the story believable. (Note that the setting is 1979 and that the character is concerned with the Iran hostage situation, so kids will probably want to know more about that, if they're not familiar with it already.)
    • 4/5
      A moody, suspenseful, and quite compelling debut novel.
    • 3/5
      This is perhaps the most striking cover of the year, a striped down graphic of trees and cabin. The story nearly entirely takes place within this cabin, within the Zebra forest (so named for pattern of white birches and dark barked trees of the forest). Inside the cabin live an eccentric (and possibly mentally ill) grandmother, raising her two grandchildren as far away from the prying eyes and ears of the larger world as she can. Home-schooled until recently, they know only that their parents have died and she alone is left to raise them. When a stranger appears at their door, their world is about to alter dramatically and they will be left to question everything they thought they knew about their lives.

      An interesting read, a slim read (200 pages), and mostly character-driven, I liked this book, but wonder how children will like it. I am curious to get it into their hands. Grades 5-7.
    • 3/5
      Zebra Forest was not what I expected—it was much better. I was a little wary about mature content for younger readers, and even warier since I'm a bit pathetic and easily frightened by scary, suspense-driven, or horror novels. But rest assured, this book packs a punch in plot without content that would be inappropriate for a YA audience. It was a fabulous read and I enjoyed it very much!Although this book is aimed at readers ages 9-12, I suggest the reader be at least grade five and ready to handle the mature subject matter. That being said, it is a tame story. We read the story through the p.o.v. of a child. Other characters withhold information that a child should not receive (ie. no one actually talks about grandma's depression and the intruder does not give any graphic detail about his crime). Basically, it doesn't read like the hostage story that the publisher copy makes it sound like. It hooks the reader, but the story is actually an age-appropriate narrative that parents and educators can feel comfortable about.I have to say I enjoyed the plot twist. It allows for some real character development in the story as the kids grow as a result of the situation at hand. The novel takes a hard look at the importance of family and forgiveness, but also moral choices and having to live with the consequences of one's actions. All "tough stuff" subjects that make for great exploration of character!This is a fantastic read for young teens who like a bit of mystery, suspense, and drama. Adina Rishe Gewirtz's debut novel is beautifully written, memorable, fast-paced read and it is unlike anything I've read in a while. Definitely worth it to pick up a copy!
    • 5/5
      Mature children could read this also; wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was a very interesting story. There was a lot there, but it was a short book and (for once!) was a standalone novel. I liked seeing how very differently the three main characters reacted when the man (soon discovered to be the father) breaks into their house having just escaped from the prison. I thought Rew's story, in particular, was very good. I'm not sure how middle schoolers will react to this book. They probably know nothing of the Iran hostage situation, and I don't know how many of them have read Treasure Island. I picture many young readers being a little underwhelmed by the ending, as well, but I was good with it. You just have to go into the book realizing it's a character-driven story, not an action piece.
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure what I thought of this story.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book more, because I really liked the main character and narrator Annie B. I just thought there were too many unanswered questions in the plot. I like a story tht leaves something for my imagination, but the relationships ans reactions between characters where too complicated for there to be holes in the explanation.
    • 4/5
      Annie and her brother Rew live with their Gran in a small house next to the Zebra Forest, so named for the birch trees. They have a modest life until an escaped prisoner holds them hostage in their own home. An ultimately sweet tale about family and the secrets we can all hold.
    • 5/5
      When eleven-year-old Annie first started lying to her social worker, she had been taught by an expert: Gran. "If you’re going to do something, make sure you do it with excellence," Gran would say. That was when Gran was feeling talkative, and not brooding for days in her room — like she did after telling Annie and her little brother, Rew, the one thing they know about their father: that he was killed in a fight with an angry man who was sent away. Annie tells stories, too, as she and Rew laze under the birches and oaks of Zebra Forest — stories about their father the pirate, or pilot, or secret agent. But then something shocking happens to unravel all their stories: a rattling at the back door, an escapee from the prison holding them hostage in their own home, four lives that will never be the same. Driven by suspense and psychological intrigue, Zebra Forest deftly portrays an unfolding standoff of truth against family secrets — and offers an affecting look at two resourceful, imaginative kids as they react and adapt to the hand they’ve been dealt.From ZEBRA FORESTWe called it the Zebra Forest because it looked like a zebra. Its trees were a mix of white birch and chocolate oak, and if you stood a little ways from it, like at our house looking across the back field that was our yard, you saw stripes, black and white, that went up into green. Gran never went out there except near dusk, when the shadows gathered. She didn’t like to be out in full sunlight usually, and told me once she didn’t like the lines the trees made. Gran was always saying stuff like that. Perfectly beautiful things — like a clean blue sky over the Zebra — made tears come to her eyes, and if I tried to get her to come outside with me, she’d duck her head and hurry upstairs to bed. But then it would be storming, lightning sizzling the tops of the trees, and she’d run round the house, cheerful, making us hot cocoa and frying up pancakes and warming us with old quilts. We had few rules in our house, but keeping out of the Zebra Forest in a storm was one of them.
    • 3/5
      Expectations can harm a book's ratings as much as a poorly orchestrated story or a badly drawn character. That may be the case here. When I first read the plot synopsis of Zebra Forest I thought 'Here's a book filled with magic. This may even be metafiction!!!' Zebra Forest is neither of these things—it's a straight-forward slow and thoughtful story, a story about family, truth, and redemption.Despite not being all I had hoped, Zebra Forest did prove something to me. In 2012, I set out to discover whether children's and young adult lit had any merit. I've read some good stories (mostly okay ones), but until Zebra Forest I hadn't read one that was anything more than a “good story.” Children's books are filled with faced-paced, plot-driven action where the characters are flat and there is never a time—for the characters or the reader—to pause and reflect. Zebra Forest proves this doesn't have to be the case as this is a very character-driven and thoughtful novel where the plot takes a backseat.Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with this one. The long ramblings about Treasure Island were lost on me. Setting the story in 1980 allowed parallels to be drawn to the Iranian occupation of the American embassy, but didn't seem to help this story. I couldn't identify with Annie and Rew, not because they were children, but because they were foreign to me.Regardless of my personal inability to relate to the novel and to enjoy it greatly, I recognize that Zebra Forest is well done. I recommend it for anyone seeking more thought-provoking children's literature. And it has given me hope. Good literature knows no age limit—now I must seek out that book I know must be out there.