March 24, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus Teddy Fitzroy is investigating what is happening to ducklings in the zoo when his parents receive horrible news; one of their proteges, and a close friend of Teddy's, has been killed in Rwanda. It's thought that young Jadim Okenoyo has been killed by poachers, and the family drops everything and flies in for the funeral. Once there, they meet Lana, Jadim's girlfriend, who is taking care of an orphaned gorilla, Fuzi, and lets them know that Jadim faked his own death and is hiding in the mountains. When Fuzi is stolen and Lana is knocked out, the Fitzroy's decide to use Teddy's detective skills, as well as Summer McCracken's wealth, to get the animal back. While they travel to Lake Victoria and Tanzania, Teddy videoconferences with Summer to try to figure out what is going on with the ducklings. A park attendant, Orville, who is neurodivergent, has been counting the ducklings, and has noticed that they have gone missing. Video footage uncovers an unusual crocodile like animal, an endangered gharial, in the ponds. Since there aren't any officially at the zoo, Summer investigates how one came to be in the park. Meanwhile, Teddy and his family are on the trail of the poachers, and finally come across a group of men who were hired to kidnap Fuzi by a man named Bob. The poachers have few opportunities to make money, so have turned to crime. It's a dangerous mission which involves a lion attack, a car crash, and big containers of angry snakes. Will Teddy be able to find Fuzi and turn over the poachers to the authorities while also remotely saving cute little ducklings and their endangered predator?
Strengths: In my review of All Ears, I commented that I wouldn't mind a return to Fun Jungle, and Gibbs managed to give us a mystery set in the zoo while we also got to travel around Africa. Well done. The parents were brought in to the investigation in a realistic way, and I loved that Teddy's mother was considered a scientific rock star by many of the people they met. The group's ability to travel was funded by the McCracken's wealth, so they ddn't have to worry about chartering planes when necessary; I don't know why this detail made me so happy. As always, Gibbs uses his platform to draw attention to real world problems, in this case, the trafficking of exotic animals, whether living or dead. I appreciated that there is some understanding of what drives people to capture animals, and that Marge has become a nicer person. I would still like to spend a little more time back at FunJungle, so that Teddy and Summer could hang out together!
Weaknesses: The name Fuzi bothered me. Is it pronounced Fuzzy of Fuse-y? Foo-zee? I had to refer to the gorilla as Fern in my head. I also would not have minded a map of the Fitzroy's travels.
What I really think: I always think of Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who mysteries when I read Gibbs' work; there were 29 books, and I read and loved them all. While most series languish on my library shelves, there are always students who are looking forward to Gibbs' new titles.
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