Thursday, January 19, 2023

#tbt: Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs. 304 p. FunJungle Book 1. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, May, 2010. 97814169087314. (Own.)

Happy Thursday! #tbt features Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs. This is book one of the author's FunJungle series and was his debut novel. It was published in 2010, two years before the Spy School series launched. Mr. Gibbs seems to work on many novels simultaneously as he has published thirty books in the last twenty-two years!

Teddy Fitzroy has recently moved from Africa to Texas with his primatologist mother and photographer father so that his parents can work for FunJungle, a theme park that includes a zoo. The zoo's mascot is an ornery hippo named Henry, who has a habit of projectile pooping on unsuspecting visitors. Teddy is the narrator and a bit of an imp who enjoys baiting Large Marge, one of the park's security officers. It is because he's getting in trouble with her that he learns that Henry Hippo is dead. He sneaks into the room where the zoo's vet is performing an autopsy and learns that the hippo had been murdered. Soon, Teddy is on the case with the help of the billionaire theme park owner's daughter, Summer.

The humor in this fast-paced book is low-brow and the action is high and often hilarious.

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