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kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Things I loved about this book:
-Cop show allusions ("This is the city. Kalamazoo City. Population: 75,000. By day, it's bright, vibrant metropolis, the kind of city where dreams come true. It is a mecca of business, the arts, sports, and cuisine, and, at the center of it all, the gleaming facade of Pandini Tower, the jewel of Kalamazoo City. Those who don't live here dream of making it here. And those who do, well, they know that there's just no city like it.
But it is a different city once the sun goes down. The criminal element, asleep by day, haunts certain dark corners at nigh. Especially the run-down old docks on the south side of town, perhaps the darkest corner of all." p. 1)
-Puns (specifically animal puns)
-The sly inclusion of forensics
-Jarrett Krosoczka's illustrations
-Um... Platypi are awesome! (Or is it platypuses just platypus?) Specifically Zengo and O'Malley who are the typical old cranky cop and young anxious rookie who team up together to fight the crime of Kalamazoo City.
-The mystery aspect which allows the reader to be part of the police squad and can make predictions about what the outcome will be
-Cop show allusions ("This is the city. Kalamazoo City. Population: 75,000. By day, it's bright, vibrant metropolis, the kind of city where dreams come true. It is a mecca of business, the arts, sports, and cuisine, and, at the center of it all, the gleaming facade of Pandini Tower, the jewel of Kalamazoo City. Those who don't live here dream of making it here. And those who do, well, they know that there's just no city like it.
But it is a different city once the sun goes down. The criminal element, asleep by day, haunts certain dark corners at nigh. Especially the run-down old docks on the south side of town, perhaps the darkest corner of all." p. 1)
-Puns (specifically animal puns)
-The sly inclusion of forensics
-Jarrett Krosoczka's illustrations
-Um... Platypi are awesome! (Or is it platypuses just platypus?) Specifically Zengo and O'Malley who are the typical old cranky cop and young anxious rookie who team up together to fight the crime of Kalamazoo City.
-The mystery aspect which allows the reader to be part of the police squad and can make predictions about what the outcome will be
jbolwerk8's review against another edition
4.0
A teacher has gone missing in what is believed to be an illegal fish trade gone bad. Zengo is a new detective with the Platypus Police Squad, and he and his veteran partner O’Malley are assigned to the case. O’Malley’s caution and Zengo’s brash actions do not mix all the time, which makes for an interesting partnership. As Zengo keeps messing up and gets the pair kicked off the case, they continue to search, ultimately finding the missing teacher and solving the illegal fish trade at the high school (or so they think).
This was a fun and funny read. I appreciated the black and white images that made this feel more like a true detective/mystery story. Zengo and O’Malley’s personalities were consistent, but at times got a little too repetitive and predictable. I also really like the ending with Pandini Jr. foreshadowing that the illegal fish trade would continue…it makes me want to keep reading the series to find out if he ever gets caught.
This was a fun and funny read. I appreciated the black and white images that made this feel more like a true detective/mystery story. Zengo and O’Malley’s personalities were consistent, but at times got a little too repetitive and predictable. I also really like the ending with Pandini Jr. foreshadowing that the illegal fish trade would continue…it makes me want to keep reading the series to find out if he ever gets caught.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
I am most definitely the wrong audience for this book, but I can see how the right audience would find it delightful and fun. I don't particularly like police dramedies, and this definitely is one. I did find it interesting how Krosoczka managed to include all the tropes of the genre, and still make it perfectly accessible. I'm also not a big fan of animal stories and this book is completely populated with animal characters. I do think it is a fun story and great to hand to kids who like this sort of story.
arundlestl's review against another edition
2.0
I really had high hopes for this book. It seemed like a neat buddy comedy, crime drama, mystery for middle grades. But there was too much about it that didn't make any sense to me. Is Zengo a kid or an adult? Because even though it's his first day as a police officer, he's impulsive and immature. The characters weren't developed, so I was just beat over the head with the details about them. If there's a reader who doesn't instantly understand that Pandini's actions are suspicious, I would be shocked. Maybe ten year olds will feel differently about this book and adore it. I hope so.
cstoeger's review against another edition
3.0
Highly entertaining. The audiobook listened like an old P.I. novel.
ktbug1217's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrsscottisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mehezz's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
emdoux's review against another edition
4.0
Truth be told, I'd never have read this if it hadn't been donated to our school library via me from our book fair. But I'm glad I did (thanks, Will!) because it was a fun mystery. I'll definitely be recommending it.
librarybrods's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful chapter book debut by Jarrett Krosoczka! My third graders are passing around the ARC and the hold list is already a page long!