Belly Up was not what I was expecting. I was expecting hilarity. Sure it has a dead hippo on the cover, but the cartoonish of it, plus the colors... Actually, Belly Up is rather morbid. It’s still great fun, but fun in the what’s-gonna-happen-next way, not in the oh-look-monkies! kind of way.

Chapter 1 of Belly Up met my expectations. There’s a mischievous kid in a zoo, dodging the adults who want to put an end to his fun. And then there’s poop. Lots and lots of poo. Poo continues to make appearances throughout the novel, but it’s in this first chapter than poo really makes its grand entrance. I think I could argue that poop is actually the protagonist of this novel.

That first chapter sets the stage for what ends up being a very different book. The story becomes increasingly darker as it goes on. There are still bits of humor from beginning to end, but they’re mixed in with a larger story that focuses on murder, attempted murder, and some all-out grossness. Seriously, the climax of this novel makes that fair scene from Problem Child 2 as sweet as cotton candy.

Belly Up is a classic whodunit story told in a zoo. (And Agent Poop is on the case.) I’m not a big fan of the mystery genre for any age, so I’m not the intended audience, but I felt the formula was implemented well. The reveal was not surprising (I actually called it very early in the book) and the reason wasn’t entirely organic to the plot, but neither of these flaws kept the chase from being a fun ride. The characters were engaging. And there are animals, of course. This novel certainly succeeds as an entertaining mystery for children, especially those who laugh at poop.

For those with objections to strong language, please note that this book uses language that may seem misplaced in a children’s book. These include multiple utterances of words such as bastard, ass, hell, and damn. Yeah, I’ve heard worse in a PG movie, but I still thought someone might want to know. ( )

This book didn’t grab me as quickly as [b: Space Case|1113919|Space Case|Edward Marshall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348626200s/1113919.jpg|1100915] did. I’m not really a zoo person. The whole FunJungle thing is a little far-fetched. No one travels to the middle of nowhere to look at animals. Do they? Who would deliberately kill a hippo? It took me awhile to get on board. But I’m happy to say that once the sleuthing began, I was full speed ahead.

This one is about Teddy and the world famous FunJungle amusment park. His mom is a park zoologist. Teddy is the only kid living on the grounds. He has a boring existence, so he spices things up by using the animals to pull pranks. Just as Large Marge catches him, there’s a code red at the hippo exhibit. The zoo’s mascot has gone belly up. And the mystery begins.

Teddy sneaks into the autopsy and overhears Doc say that Henry’s death was intentional. This puts Teddy into investigative mode. He gets a message to the zoo owner’s daughter, Summer, and together they begin investigating on their own. When Teddy is almost killed twice, it’s clear that someone is trying to stop him from finding the truth. Everyone hated Henry, so finding the murderer isn't a shut case.

As in [b: Space Case|1113919|Space Case|Edward Marshall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348626200s/1113919.jpg|1100915], Gibbs does a great job of introducing all the possible suspects, then misleading you just enough to keep you guessing. For the younger boys there’s even some hippo poop and spewing corpse guts to keep things gross. ( )

Belly Up is the first in a fun, light hearted mystery series that takes place in a huge, amazing zoo in Texas. Nobody really likes Henry, the gigantic, cranky hippo with some very unpleasant habits, but it’s a huge problem when he turns up dead one day because he is the famous zoo’s mascot. Teddy basically lives on the grounds of the zoo because both of his parents work there, and he thinks there’s something more to Henry’s death than the officials are saying. As Teddy starts to investigate, he starts having some strange accidents. Is someone trying to scare him away from investigating?

I decided to read Belly Up because it is on the NC children's book award list for 2013. Also I love the covers. My husband even said he would be sad when I finished the book because he enjoyed looking at the cover from across the room. smile.... I thought the book was going to be cute like he cover. Oh my was I wrong. This is a mystery that will keep you wondering up until the end. Of course the murder victim is a crotchety hippo that is the mascot for FunJungle, the most visited tourist attraction in the nation. Teddy, is a 12 year old boy who living at the zoo with his parents who work there with animals. Teddy decides to conduct his own investigations into Henry's death, which put his life in danger. Lots of intrigue, little bit of romance, humor and certainly grossness. If you love animals, you should enjoy this mystery. I think this is Stuart Gibbs first novel. He could not have chosen a better ending to this mystery. ( )

Teddy grew up in the wilds of Africa with his primatolgist mother and his photographer father. But when war tore up the Congo, his mom took a job at FunJungle, a new animal park/research center in Texas. Teddy has the run of the place, but everything changes the day Henry the Hippo, the mean, irritable, poop-shooting mascot of the park, turns up dead. Henry has been murdered, & it seems like everyone is trying to cover it up. So Teddy starts his own investigation, and now someone's trying to kill him, too. Exciting, great mystery, lots of neat animal facts, and a great main character make this book a real winner. ( )