Rex Norton-Norton and his family have just moved to Ottawa from Vancouver. The year is 1962, and while adults worry about the possibility of the Cold War unleashing an atomic bomb, Rex and his new friends have much more pressing and immediate concerns: the escaped panther spending its nights in nearby Adams Park. Rex has heard its growl. Kathy has several blurry photos. But not a single adult is willing to believe it’s there. Tim Wynne–Jones’ observant and entertaining novel captures what it was like to be a kid growing up in the shadow of the burgeoning nuclear age, turning fear of a panther that may or may not be real into a metaphor for the general sense of unease that filters down from the adult world into the lives of children. Unlike the adults around them, who watch disturbing documentaries about Cold War cruelties or build bomb shelters to survive impending doom, Rex and his friends are determined to take decisive action. They make plans to capture the wild beast in a story featuring a likeable eleven-year-old protagonist who is constantly forming new and deeper insights, small leaps of understanding that go hand-in-hand with growing up. (Ages 9–13)

At almost eleven, Rex has moved from Vancouver to Ottawa, can’t speak French—required in his new school—and has no friends. Until he meets Buster and James. When he introduces himself—Rex Norton-Norton—and explains the hyphen, Buster states, “Like a minus sign.” Norton minus Nor ton equals zero: Rex Zero—the best nickname in the universe (44). The historical setting, replete with the language, food, “modern” conveniences, and icons of the 1960s will be unfamiliar to most readers, and the Cold War images will need explanation. But this small slice of the good ol’ days proves to be an engaging mystery-adventure for reading alone or aloud. 2008 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, ALA Notable Children’s Books, Boston Book Review–Winner, Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, CCBC Choice. lmp

Originally published by Groundwood Books Canada, in 2006.