Belly Up

by Stuart Gibbs
Genre: realistic fiction
Age group: 10+

It started as a normal day for Teddy Fitzroy. He was at FunJungle, America's hottest amusement park-zoo, sneaking the monkeys water balloons to throw back at visitors. But when the news came, the day was anything but normal. Henry Hippo, FunJungle's official mascot, was dead.
And it was worse than that: After the autopsy, it was uncovered as murder!! Teddy needs to get to the bottom of this. But the police don't take him seriously. So, with his new-found friend, Summer McCracken, daughter of the park's owner, he sets out to uncover the culprit.
But it's not going to be easy. Not only are there too many suspects to count, dangerous wild animals keep getting released whenever Teddy's around. Somebody knows Teddy is hunting for the killer - and they want him dead.

This book has the perfect mix between funny and suspenseful. The characters are interesting, the plot is interesting... The author keeps you guessing at who the real murderer is. Stuart Gibbs is, based on his writing in this book, good at mystery. He deftly weaves in clues that lead to one thing... but no, that person couldn't possibly be the killer. The final answer is not especially unexpected, but it isn't predictable either. Overall, Gibbs has created a thoroughly enjoyable novel that definitely keeps you on your toes.