The world’s most famous hippopotamus is dead.
Henry Hippo was the mascot of FunJungle, a gigantic zoo/theme park that is America’s newest tourism sensation. The park’s top brass claims he died of natural causes, but twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy suspects foul play. When the police refuse to take him seriously, Teddy sets out to uncover the truth himself – and ends up in two tons of trouble. Turns out Henry wasn’t as loveable as the park PR department wanted everyone to believe – and a staggering number of people wanted him dead. The deeper Teddy digs, the more dangerous it gets in this mystery that combines corruption, betrayal, deadly animals – and an even deadlier killer.
“First-novelist Gibbs offers no shortage of suspects in his fast-paced story, which deftly mixes humor and suspense. Cleverly plotted… this book is an auspicious debut that will leave readers clamoring for more.” – Booklist
“Overall, the story is great fun… In his authorial debut, screenwriter Gibbs combines details of the inner workings of zoos with some over-the-top action for an entertaining read.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Dense with animal trivia, Belly Up will suit attentive readers who love mystery and random facts… Gibbs handles issues of animal welfare in a fair way without being preachy, and his motley cast of characters holds its own with quirky personalities and memorable details. Overall, this first novel brings together suspense, wild chase scenes, and enough character development to hold children’s attention… Hand it to fans of Gordon Korman’s Swindle and Jody Feldman’s The Gollywhopper Games.” – School Library Journal
“Belly Up, by Stuart Gibbs, is a very fun (and often very funny) mystery/comedy… Your children (and you) will learn about everything from the world’s deadliest snake (that’d be the black mamba) to the most dangerous animal in Africa (the cape buffalo, with hippos coming in second), while racing through the pages to find out who did it in this impressive whodunit.” – Los Angeles Family magazine
“I enjoyed it so much. It’s sophisticated and satisfying and well-done and page-turny.” - Aimee Bender, author of ‘The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake”