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Cover of Bushman Lives!

Bushman Lives!

Daniel Pinkwater (2012)

SubgenreEpic Fantasy
Age groupMiddle Grade 8-12
Content ratingPG
Pages (Quick Read (<250))
Setting
CSM age10
Goodreads3.73
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Content levels

ViolenceNone
Sexual contentNone
LanguageNone

Trigger warnings

Not yet tagged

Positive tags

Coming of AgeHumorSelf-DiscoveryHeartwarming

Protagonist archetypes

Coming-of-Age Protagonist

Tropes

Coming of AgeQuestFish out of Water

Themes

IdentityArtistic AmbitionUrban AdventureSelf-DiscoveryChildhood MemoryLocal Legend

Synopsis

In the 1960s, Harold Knishke, a Chicago teenager with a special place in his heart for Bushman, the famed departed gorilla of the Lincoln Park Zoo, embarks on a hometown adventure, in a quest to become a great artist and figure out how he became the object of a famous folk song.

Is Bushman Lives! appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 10 and up.

A quirky, nostalgic coming-of-age story about a Chicago teen's artistic quest involving a beloved zoo gorilla. Wholesome content with Pinkwater's signature offbeat humor, appropriate for middle grade readers.

What to know going in

This book has no graphic violence, no sexual content, and clean language.

Who'll love this

Kids who love weird, funny stories about following your dreams and mysterious adventures in their own city will enjoy this oddball quest.

Tags

Contemporary FantasyHistorical FantasyMagical RealismUrban Fantasy