Author: Diana Noonan

Published: 2011

Publisher: Pearson Education

Format: Paperback

Pages: 91

Suitable: Middle Primary / Upper Primary (Reading Age 8-11 Years)

Nitty Gritty Novels - Level 0
Reading Level 8-11

There, standing in his own backyard, was an animal that belonged in a zoo, or in a mountain forest in China. It was so strange that Louis didn't think to be afraid.

Louis wants a dog. He dreams of training it to follow his commands. It would soon get used to the sudden jerks and twists that his wheelchair-bound body keeps making. It would be his friend. But Mum says no. That's nothing to what she would say if she could see the golden monkey standing on the grass just a few meters away from him, in their own backyard. Louis knows it has escaped from a zoo. They are saying it's too wild to tame, and it will be destroyed if it's found. Is it possible that Louis can tame the beautiful animal? But how can he all by himself and from his wheelchair?

Nitty Gritty Novels - An exciting new series of chapter books from New Zealand and International authors. Develop your students' critical literacy skills and challenge their thinking with Nitty Gritty Novels - high-interest, rich texts, targeted at young adolescents.