Author: Stuart Gibbs
Illustrator: Lucy Ruth Cummins (map illustration: Ryan Thompson)
© Date: 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 339
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: No
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No, but has an author note that rhinos and elephants are in trouble due to poaching, gives information for how to help.
Summary from Book: Someone wants Rhonda Rhino dead!
Teddy Fitzroy has caught a lot of bad guys at FunJungle, but when someone takes a shot at Rhonda Rhino from inside the park, he finds that this might be his toughest case yet. Now Teddy has to catch the hunter and save Rhonda—all while trying not to become animal chow.
Page Pig Thoughts: Ah, another FunJungle. These are currently my happy place. I loved following the adventure and learning about the animals. In this one I particularly enjoyed the not commonly mentioned animals taking part in the story, now I want to go look up pictures of them. Also high on my list was the thought provoking discussion of animal conservation through zoos and exotic animal hunting. I also appreciated Teddy briefly consoling Marge the security guard. After everything that she had accused him of and put him through, Teddy was still able to see her in a low moment and offer consolation. And yes, I hope to read the next FunJungle sooner rather than later. I also look forward to reading one with Page Pup.
Use caution with younger or sensitive readers: poaching, guns, hunting, and threats of juvenile detention are mentioned.
Family Unit: Teddy (12yo) lives with his mother (wildlife biologist) and father (wildlife photographer) in a trailer on the edge of FunJungle’s property.
Conflict/Social Issues:
- Teddy struggles with keeping a secret from his parents. He cannot tell them that he is helping with the Rhonda Rhino because J.J. McCracken (owner of FunJungle) threatens him.
- Athmani keeps arguing for the horns to be cut off of all the FunJungle rhinos to protect them from poaching. Doc does not want to perform unnecessary surgery on animals even if there are not nerves in rhino horns.
Positive Items:
- Teddy’s parents are always protective of him.
- Different types of animals are mentioned, so quick research could be done to see what those animals look like.
- Teddy struggles with the notion of exotic game hunting, but keeps an open mind and is able to see the issue from a different perspective.
Items of Interest:
- The complexities of animal conservation are discussed. Exotic game hunting is mentioned along with how that industry helps with animal conservation. Also discussed is how some people view zoos as animal prisons despite their efforts at animal conservation.
- The complexities of elimination poaching was also discussed. How people lose their lives trying to save animals from poaching. How poaching one animal can earn someone more income than years of honest work. How cutting off rhino horns may not help rhino poaching. The argument for allowing controlled hunting of animals to take the bottom out of the black market for animal poachers.
- Teddy and his parents catch the poacher stalking around Rhonda Rhino’s house. His parents race off into the dark through an animal exhibit in an attempt to catch the poacher. Teddy’s mom winds up breaking her ankle. Teddy runs into the darkness to help his mother when he hears her go down. They both are nearly trampled by large, panicked hoofed animals.
- J.J. McCracken threatens Teddy to make him help with the investigation into Rhonda Rhino.
- An orangutan kept escaping his enclosure and breaking into the candy, ice cream, and bakeries around FunJungle. Marge was blaming Teddy.
- Xavier trails TimJim because he is convinced that they are up to no good. Xavier catches them in the act of setting off fireworks under the basketball court, then tells an adult. The adult rushes to catch them.
- Teddy and Summer run into danger by crawling on top of the Reptile House. They find the armed poacher and narrowly avoid falling several stories into the crocodile exhibit.
- Summer McCracken laments that her celebrity status life means that anything she does is subject to unkind public comments. If she wears a bathing suit, someone will say she is fat. If she tried out for the cheerleading squad and attempted a jump and fell down, someone woulld post a video to the internet mocking her.
- Violet Grace has a crush on Teddy, but Teddy has a crush on Summer.
- Summer is overcome by emotion after Teddy saves her life, and she gives him a quick kiss. She then avoids him for days. When forced to talk with Teddy, she tries to play it off. Teddy says that he has a crush on her. The book ends with them holding hands as they walk across FunJungle.
- After trying to capture Teddy for the sweets related break-ins at FunJungle, Marge winds up covered in pastries and elephant poo. She starts crying on the sidewalk. Teddy feels bad for her and extremely briefly tries to comfort her.
- The escaped orangutan protects Teddy when Marge is roughly trying to handcuff and arrest him. The orangutan hits Marge and knocks her off her feet.
- After the elephants stampeded FunJungle, Pete Thwacker, head of PR, plays it up and has lots of tourists coming to see the wreckage. Based on all of Pete Thwacker’s ideas, PR is presented as a blatant attempt to get people to do things that they ordinarily might not be interested in.
- Teddy’s family’s mobile home is moved without notification. J.J. McCracken wants the space that the employee housing had been on for amusement park rides. The new employee housing location is not great. His parents bargain for an employee housing pool and better mobile homes for all employees.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):