Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0439165903, Mass Market Paperback)

Mr. Beastly has a secret, there's no doubt about it. Or at least that's the conclusion sixth grader Nick Dill reaches after he and his mom stumble across this strange man's little building--the Beastly Arms--while apartment-hunting.

Like his mom, who teaches photography at City College, Nick always seems to be looking at the world through a camera lens. Everyone looks like an animal: His best friend, Inez, is a spider monkey; his teacher, Mr. Kirkaby, reminds him of a gray fox; and Sixto, the guy at the newsstand with big circles under his eyes and the same white vest over a black T-shirt every day, is a panda. But Nick just can't figure out what sort of animal Mr. Beastly looks like--or why he has such a fondness for Miriam, the kangaroo rat who travels around in Nick's shirt pocket.

For better or worse, Nick is about to find out a whole lot more about the mysterious Mr. Beastly, and not just because of the interview assignment that Mr. Kirkaby gives Nick and his class. As it turns out, Mr. Beastly has a very attractive vacancy in the Beastly Arms--and Nick and his mom have no idea what they're getting into. But, as Mr. Beastly himself says, sometimes you just have to follow your gut. (Ages 10 and older) --Paul Hughes