Book excerpt: "Keating delivers a fun-filled, pitch-perfect book...An amusing, highly readable book about the perils of being 12 in a snake-eat-snake world."— Kirkus Starred Review on How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied (My Life is a Zoo Book 1) Ana Wright's summer just got terrifying. She's finally getting used to living in a zoo (no, seriously—she lives with her family in an actual zoo), when she's assigned to work in the new shark tank. With her worst enemy. Forget about sharks! Ashley is the ultimate predator. And after Ana's favorite croc peed on Ashley's shoes, she's probably out for revenge. This can't be good. Jess Keating combines the quirky humor and animal-centric plots of Carl Hiaasen with the awkward adolescent antics of Lauren Myracle in this fresh new middle grade series! Praise for How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied: "A menagerie of laugh-out-loud antics." —Anna Staniszewski, author of The Dirt Diary "A wild romp, filled with humor and heart." — Lisa Schroeder, author of It's Raining Cupcakes "Keating, a zoologist, enriches her debut novel with fascinating animal facts, awkward moments with a variety of wild species, and "creature files" Ana uses to amusingly classify her peers" —School Library Journal "An absolutely perfect summer read." —Girls' Life Magazine.com "Life is literally a zoo for shy 12-year-old Anna, who is trying to avoid seventh-grade bullies while hiding that her family lives among crocodiles and elephants." —Los Angeles Times