The Midnight Zoo Crew: The Secret of Snow Leopard Mountain: The Midnight Zoo Crew, #2

Whistlewick Zoo was supposed to be quiet again. Then the northern hill began to roar.

On the morning Asha Patel is finally meant to leave Whistlewick Zoo, the clock unexpectedly strikes thirteen—and every animal begins talking at once.

From the trees beyond the zoo's northern boundary comes a desperate message: a snow leopard cub named Ketu has disappeared.

The clues lead Asha, Zeke, Frankie and Max towards Snow Leopard Mountain, an abandoned part of Whistlewick that has been closed for decades. Behind its chained gate lies a forgotten underground station, a rusting funicular railway, hidden water channels and machinery that still seems to remember its former keeper.

But the crew are not the only ones searching.

Theo Thorne, a camera-loving boy with bright orange trainers and a troublesome drone, knows more about Ketu's disappearance than he first admits. Strange pawprints appear around the zoo. A legendary beast is spotted on the hill. And as the full moon approaches, the ancient mountain begins to wake.

To rescue Ketu, the children must follow a trail through the Lower Station, Moon Station and the hidden Keeper's Refuge—before shifting walls, rising water and a collapsing clockwork bridge seal the mountain forever.

Packed with talking animals, secret tunnels, funny disasters, clever clues and genuine heart, The Secret of Snow Leopard Mountain is an exciting middle-grade mystery about friendship, courage, conservation and learning that caring for an animal does not mean claiming or controlling it. The story ultimately reinforces that some animals need privacy and protection more than an audience.