by Stuart Gibbs
First published 2015
Teddy Fitzroy thought life at FunJungle would be predictable when his scientist parents moved the family to America's biggest zoo. Sure, there might be occasional elephant stampedes and water balloon battles with chimps, but nothing too dramatic. Then Henry the Hippo turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Teddy smells foul play. What starts as one mysterious death quickly spirals into a pattern of crimes targeting the zoo's animals. Each investigation pulls Teddy deeper into FunJungle's hidden dangers and corrupt dealings. The mysteries keep multiplying faster than Teddy can solve them. He discovers that protecting the animals he cares about means risking his own safety. This collection brings together the first three cases that launched Teddy's career as FunJungle's unofficial detective, showing how an ordinary kid becomes an unlikely hero in a place where wildlife and human greed collide.
Genres: fiction, animals, adventure, suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, unlikely-hero
Setting: FunJungle, United States
Period: 21st-century
1008 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers