Evie Brooks in Central Park Showdown
by Sheila Agnew (Author)
Booktalk: Evie Brooks is having the time of her life in New York, despite having to start her first day of school with a stye on her eye and a skirt so short it shows off her baby giraffe legs. Nevertheless, Evie makes new friends – maybe even a boyfriend, although how can you tell whether he’s a boyfriend or just a boy who happens to be a friend? And life with her Uncle Scott continues to be a whirlwind as he adds the Central Park Zoo to his list of vet clients. Once again the practice is inundated with the city’s strangest pets and inmates, including an alpaca named Milly, Eddie the Westipoo, Jax the snail, and a rabbit named Dr. Pepper that goes walkabout in Central Park. Evie is almost too busy to notice that the father she’s never met has darkened her door and is anxious to make amends and seek custody of Evie. Well, Evie won’t have any part of that. Nobody is going to separate her from Uncle Scott, not even the courts and a lawyer named Marcy, who claims to be representing her interests but won’t let her speak. That is not Evie’s style, however, and she is determined to find a way to stay with her uncle, with a little help from her friends.
Snippet: I was dreading my turn so much that my palms got all sweaty. That’s not completely accurate, only my left hand got sweaty, which is weird. Anyway, I didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to say. I could try:
“Hi, I’m Evie. My mum, who was a brilliant actress (but not rich or famous) died five months ago. I’ve never had a dad because he ran away before I was born, but some guy claiming to be my father turned up at my uncle’s veterinary clinic last week. Oh, and that thing that looks like a pimple on my eye is just a stye–it’s temporary and not contagious, in case you were wondering.”
Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.