Big Hairy Drama (Joey Fly, Private Eye, Book 2)
Grade 3–5—Entomology and comics come together in this entertaining mystery. Capitalizing on the success ofJoey Fly, Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime(Holt, 2009), Reynolds and Numberman have created another case for the hard-boiled private investigator. Tarantula Harry Spyderson reports that butterfly Greta Divawing, star of his Scarab Beetle Theater, is missing. Joey proceeds to round up the suspects, including understudy moth Trixie Featherfeelers. "She was playing a small part in the production. But as they say in showbiz, there are no small parts, only small insects." Rapid-fire puns will keep young readers chuckling. Sammy Stingtail, the scorpion with a rear end that takes up an entire zip code is the bumbling sidekick, unable to piece together the evidence. However, readers with an understanding of insect behavior will deduce what has happened to the leading lady and will enjoy following the clues that reveal her location. An abundance of interesting information on the world of insects and arthropods finds its way into this ever-clever, always-engaging tale. Nice visual foreshadowing gives attentive readers the information that they will need to help Joey solve the case. Illustrations are playful, and nicely suit the atmosphere of the story. The use of alternating monochromatic panels to signal a change of scene is excellent. A find-the-character quiz on the last page will send readers back to the story, searching again for clues.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.