Don't pet the hippo!

Today (February 15th 2026) is World Hippo Day!  Please celebrate responsibly.  Do not try to pet a hippo.  That just isn't safe.   

Belly Up! by Stuart Gibbs

Henry the Hippo, the not-so-beloved mascot of FunJungle has died.  It is a tragedy.  But was it a natural one?  Teddy, who lives with his parents at the park, doesn't think so.  When no one else will investigate, Teddy decides to do it on his own.   

I think this is a fun adventure mystery.  It has a good pace and a lot of interesting characters to keep the reader interested.  It also had some good animal facts throughout the book so you can learn something along the way.  I did not like the copious references to 'Large Marge' where they use her size as such a negative thing to describe her.  The body shaming of it was too much for me.  But that is my only negative.  I liked the setting and the mystery.  I like the mix of characters and the way the danger built as you read.  And I liked that it revolved around animals.  I will go on to read more in the series.