Lee Gangles is a pseudonym for our friend, Jeffrey Hoffman (and his wife, Amber), who are members of our Black Hills ward in Rapid. I saw their posts and excitement about his second book, (next on my list), so I thought I would support him by buying and reading this one. Another friend, Amber Hansen (Mt. Rushmore ward whom I've hiked with) illustrated the cover of this book.
It is an enjoyable, kid-friendly read. Lots of good names and fun fantasy. I was hoping for better than "good" because Jeff is a very bright lawyer. He touches on some interesting themes as Sophia, the main character in the story, deals with big problems of exclusion and even abuse at school. How people react differently to her after sensing something about her, after she's interacted with the magical animals in her father's zoo. It didn't quite all come together for me, though, in the way, say, Chronicles of Narnia does. Although there are some sweet hints about unconditional love, etc.
It's also a little long. The animals get a little tiring to hear about; although maybe kids would enjoy the funny names and magical things they do. I do admire the imagination it took to dream them up. And I liked the scene of father and daughter sitting in their tree when they read and talked...
A good first attempt, for sure! And I think the little boys will enjoy it when I pass it on to them...
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