  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 03/01/2014 When Teddy (from Belly Up, BCCB 6/10) sneaks into the koala habitat at FunJungle, the massive zoo-cum-amusement park where he lives with his primatologist mother and photographer father, it's really only to escape the security guard who's after him because a school bully coerced Teddy into pulling a prank. The next morning, however, Kazoo the koala has gone missing, and security footage shows Teddy as the only person who entered or left the exhibit all night. Accused of koala-napping and therefore under strict surveillance, the seventh-grader must investigate to discover the true marsupial thief before the security guard who's got a personal vendetta gets him thrown in juvie--and Kazoo dies from starvation. Gibbs again combines the enviable and well-researched setting of FunJungle with high-adrenaline escapades (what could possibly top explosions in the shark tank . . with Teddy inside?), as it’s clear that someone wants to cause FunJungle—and maybe Teddy—serious harm. Teddy’s sleuthing remains clever in the face of high pressure and multiple red herrings that will keep readers guessing until the end, while his troubles with the bully keep the boy solidly in middle-school territory and create situations that are both tough and humorous. With ecological concerns, corporate intrigue, and high-power action, this has all of the koala-fications for a an appealing adventure; with Teddy’s inability to keep his head down, it seems possible that we’ll be seeing him again. He’ll be welcome. TA - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 03/01/2014 Gr 5–8—Teddy "Roosevelt" Fitzroy is back after his adventures in Belly Up (S & S, 2010), and he is investigating a new case, despite the fact that all the adults in his life prefer he wouldn't. Billionaire J.J. McCracken's investment is losing money. In an effort not to go belly up, the latest FunJungle attraction is Kazoo, a koala on loan from the Australian government. When Kazoo goes missing, Teddy, who hid in the koala exhibit to escape Large Marge and her security detail after a prank, is the only one seen on security camera footage. "I would never have been accused of stealing the koala if Vance Jessup hadn't made me drop a human arm in the shark tank at FunJungle" muses Teddy in the first line of this whopper of a whodunit that delivers plenty of suspects, action, slapstick, gross bodily functions, red herrings, and animal trivia. This sequel stands alone nicely, and while the mystery is solved at the end, new occurrences promise to make Teddy's life much more interesting in a possible third book.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2014 After successfully solving the case of FunJungle’s hippo murder in Belly Up (2011), Teddy Fitzroy stumbles into another mystery. But this time, he’s the primary suspect. After getting caught dropping mannequin limbs in the shark tank (under threat of a harsh thumping from the dimwitted middle-school bully), Teddy escapes into FunJungle’s newest exhibit, KoalaVille, where he hides until the coast is clear. But when maintenance crews discover that Kazoo the Koala, on loan from Australia, is missing, and FunJungle security finds video footage placing Teddy at the scene of the crime, he rushes headlong into clearing his name and rescuing the koala while simultaneously uncovering a sinister plot to sabotage the whole park. Amid the mystery and subterfuge, Gibbs interweaves plenty of animal facts, such as “the koala is the only known animal whose brain only fills half its skull.” Gibbs’ clever plot, zoo setting, and likable characters combine to produce a lively caper full of fast-paced twists and turns and red herrings (not to mention sharks, chimps, tiger cubs, and snakes). - Copyright 2014 Booklist. Loading...
 |