Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

It's always fun to discover a favorite new author, and this summer I've discovered Stuart Gibbs! (He's not a new author, having been writing screenplays and novels for several years now, but he's new to me.)

My first encounter with his writing was Space Case, a gripping murder mystery set in the near future on the moon.  I followed that up with Spy School, another fast-paced page-turner. 
And now I've just finished Belly Up, which is actually Stuart Gibbs' first novel.

The setting of Belly Up is FunJungle, an enormous combination of a zoo and a theme park.  Owned by multi-millionaire businessman J.J. McCracken, FunJungle boasts animals from all over the world, cared for by the top scientists and animal keepers.  Designed to give both the animals and the park guests an authentic safari experience, FunJungle is unlike any other zoo in the world.

But sadly, the park's mascot - Henry the Hippo - has died.  On its own, this is terrible news for the park - it would be like Disneyland losing Mickey Mouse!  But when Teddy Fitzroy - the son of one of the park scientists - eavesdrops on the hippo's autopsy, he discovers that Henry was murdered.  Who would murder the beloved mascot of FunJungle?

As Teddy soon learns, it turns out Henry wasn't so beloved by many people.  Hippos in general are hornery creatures, but Henry was especially rambunctious.  He had a history of attacking people, and and at FunJungle, he was know for showering guests with his poop as much as anything else!  It's up to Teddy and the daughter of J.J. McCracken to find out who is behind Henry's untimely death.

With loads of great information about animal behavior and zoo management (Stuart Gibbs once worked at the Philadelphia Zoo), Belly Up is another top-notch mystery novel from one my new favorite authors!

Odd Weird & Little by Patrick Jennings

First, suspend your belief for just a little while.  Toulouse is the new kid at school.  Yes, he's odd, weird and little.  He wears black leather gloves, a gray pinstriped suit, tiny, round wire-rimmed glasses and carries a briefcase. Toulouse is from Quebec and Woodrow can't help but become friends with him, even if this is a risky thing.  Weird kid befriending weird kid is the perfect formula for being a perfect bullying target.  They like so many of the same things, unusual things, like fishing lures and Woodrow can't help but stick up for Toulouse even if what Toulouse has done seems suspicious .  What did happen with that gold fish anyway?!

Odd Weird & Little is an anti-bullying book.  The message is subtle with a light touch.  Who hasn't seen teachers with good intentions let a bully get away with far more than he should.  The resolution is a little too neat and tidy, but the story is still fun with a good message.

Maybe you'll be a little quicker than I was and line up the first letters of each word in the title, but suspend your belief for a while and enjoy the story.

Firstborn by Tor Seidler

When I heard that Tor Seidler - one of my favorite authors - had written a book set in Yellowstone National Park - one of my favorite places - I couldn't wait to read it.  I wasn't disappointed.

Firstborn is the story of a pack of wolves, and their struggles to survive in the beautiful, but often brutal, wilderness.  Told from the vantage point of  a Magpie named Maggie (who is less than impressed with her parents' lack of creativity in naming her), the story follows the magnificent wolf Blue Boy, one of the largest and most powerful wolves in the park.

Forcibly relocated from his original home in Canada, Blue Boy forms alliances with other similarly displaced wolves and forms his own pack.  Together they endure the hardships of life in the untamed wild, and eventually claim their own territory in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley.  In honor of their new-found home, Blue Boy names his firstborn son Lamar.  According to wolf tradition, Lamar is destined to become an alpha-male himself, asserting his dominance over the other wolves.

But Lamar is unlike any other wolf.  Less concerned with leading the hunt, and more concerned with exploring the natural wonders all around him, he is a bit of a disappointment to his father.  Especially of concern to Blue Boy is Lamar's interest in befriending - of all creatures - a coyote.  To the other wolves, coyotes are inferior, and friendship between the species is considered taboo.

When tragedy and treachery befall Blue Boy, Lamar must decide where his loyalties lie, and find the strength to be true to himself.  Through multiple story-arcs, that is the central theme of this moving novel: that becoming who you are and accepting yourself isn't always easy.

Filled with emotion, danger, and excitement, Firstborn is an often excruciating tale of survival, loyalty, treachery, courage, honor, and love.  A beautiful novel set in a beautiful world.

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs

Mystery fans - have I got a book for you!

Science fans - have I got a book for you!

And it's the same book.

Space Case is an exciting murder mystery set on the moon.  Twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson and his family are among the first families to live on Moon Base Alpha, the world's first human moon colony.  Carefully screened and chosen from thousands of applicants, the first inhabitants of Moon Base Alpha were promised the adventure of a lifetime, along with all the comforts of home.  According to The Official Residents' Guide to Moon Base Alpha, life on the moon might even be better than life back home!

Sounds like a great opportunity, right?  Turns out, the reality is not what the guide promises.  Flying real (i.e. comfortable) furniture to the moon is too expensive and impractical, so most of the furniture is inflatable.  All the food is dehyradted (and disgusting), and the toilets!  Well, you can read the book to find out about the toilets (but eliminating waste in low-gravity requires some interesting technology).

But for Dash, it's the boredom that's the worst part.  There aren't many other kids around, the Base is small, and since the lunar surface can be deadly, children aren't even allowed out of the base for a low-gravity romp on the moon.  What's the point of living on the moon, for goodness sake?

Things change, though, when one of the lunar scientists turns up dead.  Dash suspects foul play, but has a hard time getting anyone - even his own parents - to believe him.  It's up to Dash to investigate the possible murder before the killer strikes again.

The author, Stuart Gibbs, has crafted an excellent murder mystery.  Many residents of the base had both motive and opportunity to kill the scientist, but who would actually do it?  You'll be guessing right up until the very end (I know I was), and the "big reveal" is one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a long time.

Seriously, how much better than a murder mystery on the moon can it get?  Check out Space Case, it's an ingenious, well-paced thriller, that's literally out of this world!

The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater

This was another selection read by the Council of Book Readers.*

Everyone on the Council really enjoyed it, but we all agree it's REALLY hard to describe. Set in the years just following World War II,  The Neddiad follows the adventures of Neddie Wentworthstein as he is called upon to save the world.  For Neddie is the guy with the sacred turtle.  And the guy with the sacred turtle always saves the world.

It starts out simply enough: Neddie and his father (who live in Chicago at the outset of the book) both really want to eat at the famous Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California.  Since Mr. Wentworthstein made a fortune during the war selling shoe-laces to the US military, the family simply decides to move to Hollywood, so they can eat at the Brown Derby - a restaurant shaped like a hat!

There are crazy, wacky adventures a-plenty along the way, but it's when Neddie finally arrives in Hollywood that things really start getting weird.  There are ghosts, demons, elephants, mastodons, school bullies, shamans, movie stars and space police, and ... well, too many wacky characters along the way.  There's a circus, a private school, a reproduction of the Roman Colloseum, and - most importantly - the La Brea Tar Pits (which, translated, is actually "the the tar tar pits"!)  I told you it was hard to describe!

If you're looking for humor, surprises, twists and turns, and a cavalcade of interesting characters, you should have a look at The Neddiad.  The Council of Book Readers thought it was "funny," "surprising," "weird," and "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (because such a weird book can only be described with a weird word!)


*the Council of Book Readers will next meet on Friday, May 8th at 4:00pm.  We'll be discussing A Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup.  Give it a read (it's another wacky one) and come join the fun!