THE ZOO AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

Marlin is not slow, or mute; but he is a stutterer, and that makes it impossible for him to convince people otherwise. He is also a Rackham: the youngest son of the world-famous explorer Roland Rackham, renowned for his daring exploits in the dark continents, taming wild beasts and filling in the blank spaces on the map. Roland is the owner and proprietor of the Zoo at the Edge of the World, a resort well-to-do families can come to experience the last bit of the wild left in the world at the end of the nineteenth century. For Roland, each day is a new opportunity to cast a light into the dark recesses of the world; for Marlin, each day is a struggle: to speak, to communicate,
to live up to the lofty expectations that his family name carries. This is especially hard when the only people who understand him are his father and his pet monkey. When a powerful duke comes to visit the Zoo, Marlin's father captures a mysterious black jaguar, the only one in captivity. Everyone is terrified of the jaguar, including Marlin - until one night, when the jaguar confers upon him a powerful gift. Soon, Marlin finds himself with a difficult choice to make, and, finally, something to say. If only he can figure out how to say it.

With illustrations by Matthew Howley.