THE MIGHTY SKINK

After a brief fling in the outside world, a captive rhesus monkey concludes that there’s no place like home. Kaz’s settled life in a wildlife park’s monkey compound is set on its ear when Skink, a daredevil new monkey, arrives to challenge the well-defined social order, and to offer heterodox versions of the Tales that explain why monkeys should be subservient to humans. Having always wondered what was “Out There,” Kaz is eager to come along when Skink announces his intent to escape. Thanks to quick thinking and Skink’s knowledge of the world—gained, as it turns out, in the circus and before that in the space program!—the expedition survives lions, rats, and other hazards, repeatedly makes monkeys of pursuing keepers and other humans, and even takes a joy ride in a stolen car. Ultimately, the fugitives break into a library and learn that there are still places where a monkey can roam free. Off goes Skink to find them, while Kaz returns to the zoo with new plans for social reform once he becomes top monkey. Pranks and narrow squeaks propel the plot at breakneck speed, but since Kaz is an orphan with few friends, readers may find his decision to go back puzzling, and Skink’s virulent hatred for humans casts a pall over all the monkeyshines. Still, in his satirical fiction debut, Shipton makes telling points about our lordly attitudes toward animals and nature in general. (Fiction. 10-13)