Free Zoobreak by Gordon Korman

importance to the team, except that all the gear came in dozens of pouches, packets, and containers. These turned out to be just the right size for stashing small furry animals,some of whom seemed determined to wriggle overboard and/or eat their fellow travelers.
    Griffin manned the rudder, his eyes darting from the map to the compass to the approaching coastline. All things considered, he was pretty pleased with the way the operation had worked out. True, there had been a few unexpected twists. But a truly great plan was always able to adapt. And the end result — the rescue of Cleopatra — was a total success. The forty hitchhikers were Savannah’s problem — and her friend Dr. Alford’s.
    Beside him, Melissa worked at her BlackBerry, e-mailing the police department of Rutherford Point to rescue Klaus from the zoo boat ceiling. She knew a way to send the message via a dummy server in Hong Kong. That way, it could never be traced to her.
    Pitch was the first to spot the lights of the Cedarville Marina. “When we get off this raft,” she vowed, “I’m going to drop to my knees and kiss the ground.”
    “You guys were fantastic tonight,” said Savannah, her voice quavering with emotion. “I’ll never forget this.”
    “Me, neither,” Ben assured her. “If I ever get on TV and they ask, ‘What’s the worstthing that ever happened to you?’ this is going to be it.”
    The shore gradually grew more distinct, and the moored boats loomed out of the darkness. At last, Griffin cut the engine, and the raft ran aground on the beach. The time was 3:35 a.m.
    “I see Darren isn’t here yet,” said Pitch sarcastically, stepping out onto the sand.
    Now all that remained was to unload the animals in their pouches and boxes and bike them over to Savannah’s shed.
    “What about the boat?” Melissa asked, frowning. “If it’s found in Cedarville, Mr. Nasty might be able to connect it to us.”
    Once again, The Man With The Plan had an answer. Together, the team engaged the engine, turned the raft around, and sent it putt-putting toward distant Connecticut.
    The bicycle parade started slowly, its riders overburdened by the former inhabitants of the floating zoo. Savannah was in the lead, with Cleopatra sitting piggyback and the tarpaulin containing Hoo in the front basket.
    It seemed grossly unfair that this final effort was required of them after all they’d endured tonight. Perhaps a team pushing tothe summit of Mount Everest would be more exhausted, but it seemed unlikely.
    They rode in silence to avoid waking anyone in the sleeping town. Discovery was unthinkable. Not so close to the finish line.
    When they turned the corner and the Drysdale house came into view, a cry of recognition escaped Cleopatra.
    “Sweetie — shhh,” Savannah said, hushing her.
    The sound reached no human ears, but that didn’t mean it reached no ears at all. A large, dark shape sailed through an open first-floor window and hit the ground at a full gallop. Luthor closed the gap in seconds, his meaty paws barely touching the pavement. The leap began ten feet away.
    Ecstatic, Cleopatra vaulted over Savannah’s shoulder and met her best friend in midair.
    Savannah dived off her bike just in time. The wipeout was spectacular. She hit the grass and rolled as the bike careened wildly, steering itself into a telephone pole. The collision bounced the tarp out of the basket and sent it spinning and unwrapping along the road.
    With a hoot that shattered the quiet of the wee hours, a bundle of brown feathers shotout of the basket like a Tomahawk missile. Hoo circled once and then soared off, vanishing into the night.
    Five pairs of eyes stared at Savannah, waiting for her reaction.
    She waved, a blissful expression on her face. “He’s free,” she announced happily.
    “I thought animals from captivity can’t compete in the wild,” Ben reminded her.
    “He’s the only one who can,” she said serenely. “He’ll be fine. And all the others