Demokratia by Pat Bitt.
 
The City of Boranassos is thriving in a golden age of art and science, though the beauty of it is lost on thirteen-year-old Iosef Fortunado. Underchallenged in school, misunderstood by his parents, and reeling from the death of his brother in a war he can't figure out the meaning to, he spends his days skipping class and painting graffiti throughout the metropolis, until one day when he meets Miro, an escaped polar lion from the circus on the run after being framed for a murder, and his fate and the fate of Boranassos are changed forever.
 
The original, debut novel, as a downloadable eBook. Formats included in download: .epub, .pdf, .azw3, and .mobi. Recommended e-readers: Calibre, Aquile, Thorium, Ice Cream eBook reader, Kindle, Nook.