West with Giraffes, a novel by Lynda Rutledge, gripped my attention from beginning to end.

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, aka Woody Nickel, almost 18, happens to be on a New York dock in 1938 when the hurricane-battered SS Robin Goodfellow limps into the harbor. Two huge broken-up crates are lifted off containing amazing cargo: two Baringo giraffes. They are alive, but the female has a broken leg. An old man, Riley Jones, steps up to take charge of the strange cargo. He calls a veterinarian who bandages and splints the female’s leg.

The man originally hired to drive the animals doesn’t work out. Because of a crippled hand, Mr. Jones can’t shift gears, so he recruits Woody to drive them all in an old truck equipped for the occasion. The giraffes are destined for the San Diego Zoo, a haven for them after being rescued from imminent danger in Africa. Mr. Jones knows how to care for giraffes; in fact, he works at the famous San Diego Zoo for Mrs. Belle Benchley, the world’s first female zoo director.

Along the way Mr. Jones inquires about Woody’s background, but Woody deftly dodges the old man’s questions. Woody is a dust-bowl survivor from the Texas panhandle. He buried his mother and baby sister, both of whom died of “dust pneumonia.” Woody doesn’t mention his father; that’s obviously part of the story he’s unwilling to tell.

As they drive coast to coast, one near-disaster after another threatens to slow them down, if not end the journey in tragedy. Naturally they draw attention–you don’t see two-ton giraffes with their heads peering over the top of a truck every day. Among the persistent tagalongs is a female photographer, much to the delight of Woody, but the consternation of Mr. Jones.

I loved this book. The story is told in first person in Woody’s voice at a much later time. Vivid detail of the 1930s countryside is fascinating, as are the attitudes of the people caught in those desperate years. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, entertaining read, and especially if you love to learn about exotic animals, read West with Giraffes.