Most kids (and grown-ups!) can relate to Ana Wright's junior high pains: the agony of losing a best friend, the humiliating antics of parents, the cruel schemes and comments of mean girls, the fear of standing out from the crowd, and the stutter-inducing, cheeks-burning awkwardness of a first crush. Jess Keating understands the discomfort of being in junior high and depicts it realistically.

How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied is an enjoyable read with a satisfying happy ending. However, my enjoyment of it was somewhat hampered by the adults in the book; I was so frustrated with Ana's parents and their decisions that it was hard to focus on the rest of the story. The Wright parents move the family into the zoo without asking or considering how their kids' would feel about it. (The mom needs to be there for work, but it's not made clear why the dad and the kids couldn't have remained in their regular house, especially since it's just a temporary project.) They let their kids be filmed for a reality TV show and interviewed on live TV without getting the kids' approval or, again, considering how the kids' might feel about it or what repercussions it might have on their lives. They agree to do a Career Day presentation to their daughter's class without asking Ana if she's fine with it or even just informing her that they will be presenting. Mrs. Wright pressures Ana into doing a "small" presentation and then, despite knowing how Ana feels about being the center of attention and performing in public, does nothing when Ana's grandfather announces he's going to film it for his TV show, when the mean girls in Ana's class announce they'll film it and put it on the Internet, when way more people are invited than originally intended, or when Ana is so stressed out and miserable about the presentation that she looks ill. I understand that kids don't always have control over the circumstances in their lives, but parents should at least be considerate of their children's wishes and compassionate about how things may affect their kids' lives, and the Wrights seem neither considerate nor compassionate toward Ana.

But, since most kids feel like their parents just don't understand them and/or are ruining their lives anyway, they'll empathize with Ana. I'm sure the way her parents behave will feel quite authentic to most of the book's target demographic.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Was given this free by 'first-reads' to read and to review. Took me a while to get to this and finish it. But it was clearly not meant for adults, its meant for junior-high/middle-school age girls. Not a bad book, funny, quirky, and seems true to children at that age. I think when my daughters get to that age they will enjoy it. ( )

Was given this free by 'first-reads' to read and to review. Took me a while to get to this and finish it. But it was clearly not meant for adults, its meant for junior-high/middle-school age girls. Not a bad book, funny, quirky, and seems true to children at that age. I think when my daughters get to that age they will enjoy it. ( )

Was given this free by 'first-reads' to read and to review. Took me a while to get to this and finish it. But it was clearly not meant for adults, its meant for junior-high/middle-school age girls. Not a bad book, funny, quirky, and seems true to children at that age. I think when my daughters get to that age they will enjoy it. ( )

The new MY LIFE IS A ZOO series begins with HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED. Readers are introduced to Ana, her family, and friends. The combination of entertaining school stories with humorous zoo adventures is perfect for the target audience. Each chapter begins with animal wisdom and notes that draw readers into the story. Ana’s love of list-making adds to the fun.

Learn more about the author at http://jesskeating.com/. ( )