In Belly Up's sequel, twelve-year-old Teddy contends with bullies at school. At FunJungle, the zoo where he lives with his primatologist mother and wildlife-photographer father, things are even worse: Teddy's the prime suspect in a koala kidnapping. Gibbs weaves interesting trivia (newborn koalas are jellybean-size) and plenty of humor (a poop-throwing chimp helps ID an industrial spy/saboteur) into his action-packed mystery. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 4-6-Teddy Fitzroy finds himself involved in another mystery at FunJungle theme park after bully Vance forces him to pull a prank there. The head of security, Marge, already has it in for Teddy, whose parents work at the park, so when Kazoo the Koala goes missing, Teddy is the prime suspect. Knowing he's been framed, Teddy begins an investigation into the missing marsupial. Though Gibbs alludes to events that occurred in the previous title, Belly Up, listeners will have no problem enjoying this sequel. This is an intriguing mystery with enough red herrings, suspects, and laughs to keep readers hooked. Although there are almost too many characters for an audiobook listener to remember, the conclusion is both surprising and satisfying with room left open for further adventures. The production choices occasionally make narrator Gibson Frazier sound like he is speaking in a room with an echo, but he does a nice job of differentiating voices. There are also only three or four tracks per CD, which can make it difficult to find sections. However, middle-grade readers who enjoy humorous mysteries with a teenage protagonist will be delighted.-Elizabeth Elsbree, Krug Elementary School, Aurora, IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this sequel to Belly Up (2010), 12-year-old trouble-magnet Teddy is still living at FunJungle, a massive zoo and amusement park, with his primatologist mother and wildlife photographer father. The shenanigans resume when the school bully, Vance, forces Teddy to throw a fake arm into the shark tank at FunJungle. This has a large-scale snowball effect that positions Teddy as the key suspect in the theft of Kazoo, a koala on loan from Australia. With some behind-the-scenes help from friend (and crush) Summer, Teddy sets out to prove his innocence and find the real thief. Amid red herrings galore, Teddy follows leads that reveal the turbulent underbelly of greed and grudge within the park's personnel. Teddy's struggle against the mounting evidence becomes a race to prevent Kazoo's imminent starvation. The ebullient romp is salted with animal facts, including the tidbit that koalas spend almost no time thinking due to the low nutritional value of their eucalyptus diet. Tomfoolery abounds, from vomiting tourists to a close call with the Toilet of Doom. Teddy delivers a knockout conclusion, coming to the understanding that the nature of the beast is not always what it appears. This thrill-ride of a mystery is chock-full of hijinks for middle-grade sleuths and budding zoologists alike. (Mystery. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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).--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist