The Secret Zoo

The second segment of the narrative arc focuses on the novel’s rising action: Noah, Ella, and Richie leave the safety of their homes to explore the zoo after hours, but none cross into the Secret Zoo until the end of the segment. The friends, having arrived at the zoo separately—Noah with the magic key, while Ella and Richie have to climb over a wall—have contrasting experiences exploring the Clarksville Zoo, and each of their journeys foreshadows how they will approach and resolve the conflict in the later parts of the novel’s plot. This second section introduces several animal characters—some work as symbols, and all work to expand the theme of The Powerful Bond of Friendship.

This section of the novel alternates chapters between Noah and Ella with Richie. The alternation helps to create ongoing suspense and momentum as each chapter presents a mini cliffhanger and the sense of parallel action builds throughout. The structure also sets up a juxtaposition between the two narrative strands, which is the main feature of this section.

Noah’s journey through the Clarksville Zoo is a lonely one, especially contrasted with Ella and Richie. The novel continually heightens suspense when he reaches the zoo’s gates, and “[he] hear[s] a cough. Inside, a guard [is] coming toward him” (73). He manages to enter the zoo “[seconds] before the guard round[s] the hedge” (74). He barely crosses the threshold, and he must hide and evade guards while still finding a way to progress forward into the zoo. He moves forward but has no friends to help him until he reaches the Penguin Palace and meets up with Podgy. Podgy carries Noah through the penguin exhibit and into a tunnel that leads to the penguins’ habitat in the Secret Zoo. This lonely journey foreshadows Noah’s future journey through the Dark Lands, where he will send his friends away to protect them. This section therefore sets up an important relationship, as Podgy will remain with Noah later and become crucial to Noah’s escape from the Dark Lands, just as Podgy is essential to Noah’s entry to the Secret Zoo. The scariness of Noah’s lonely journey and sense of jeopardy here also allow the narrative to prepare the reader for the increase in dread and tension later in the book; this is a key feature of middle grade literature, which must allow for a young reader to adapt to darker themes and decide whether the book is likely to become too scary for them.

Richie and Ella, on the other hand, journey into the zoo with help from friends and are accompanied by many animals who all want to help them. Though the two children cannot speak Little Big Horn’s language, they recognize and understand from his actions that he wants to help them find Megan. A middle grade value lesson here is that they don’t judge the rhino based on assumptions or appearances. Next, the prairie dogs escort “the Scouts along the sidewalk, through the dark, cold night” (96), demonstrating the power of teamwork. Unlike Noah, who will attempt to save Megan himself and will venture across the Dark Lands alone, Ella and Richie portray the significance of friendship and further the theme of The Powerful Bonds of Friendship. Rather than going alone, Ella and Richie have a band of friends who help them get closer to their goals; likewise, when Noah wants to venture across the Dark Lands alone, Ella and Richie will come to his rescue with the “found family” band of friends they make through their adventures. Although Noah shows bravery and resilience in taking on his challenge alone, the novel teaches that he also needs the support of others.

Chick uses these two divergent paths to demonstrate how meaningful friendships are and that asking for help is a valuable skill. Noah makes it to the Secret Zoo, but his journey is much more difficult because he only accepts help when he can no longer move forward alone. If he could swim through the tunnels without Podgy’s help, he would not have needed any help to move forward. Chick portrays the difficulty of Noah’s journey and the consequences of choosing the lonely and challenging path to emphasize that Noah should have included his friends. Ella and Richie can reach the Secret Zoo alone through the prairie dog tunnels, but instead, they choose the company of P-Dog, the lead prairie dog, and his friends, who become their friends. They have a much easier journey than Noah, and so they arrive in the City of Species less harmed than Noah, even though all three go there simultaneously.