Antonina

How did Antonina’s life before the war prepare her for helping to rescue Jews during the war? What did she learn from working with animals that helped her deal with people?

Setting and Tone

How does the way the author describes the zoo before the war differ from the way she describes it after the bombings? What words does she use? How does the tone of the book change?

Lutz Heck and the Nazi Agenda

How does the author use Lutz Heck’s desire to re-create extinct animal species to explain the Nazi agenda? Why does she explain their agenda in this manner?

Cryptonyms

Why did the Underground use cryptonyms? What did the cryptonyms show about the people who chose them and the people they were given to? For example, what does the cryptonym of “Francis” say about the people who chose if for Jan...