Sunday, May 5, 2013

Platypus Police Squad by Jarrett Krosoczka

Leave it to Jarrett Krosoczka to come up with the idea of  a mystery with a platypus as a policeman.  A platypus is funny in and of itself;  making it the star of a wacky crime story takes the humor potential even higher.  Lunch Lady fans can rejoice because Krosoczka has developed another winning hero in Rick Zengo. Zengo has to prove himself to his partner, veteran policeplatypus Corey O'Malley, but evenutally Zengo tracks the clues and runs down the villains to solve the case of The Frog Who Croaked.  Longer and more text heavy than the Lunch Lady series, Platypus Police Squad is an excellent bridge book for kids who love graphic novels and are ready for a slightly more challenging reading than LL.  The action is fast-paced but gentle.  The police use boomerangs and the thieves are dealing in synthetic fish.  The story would make a great family read aloud.  Don't miss The Frog Who Croaked, and be on the lookout for future entries in the Platypus Police Squad series--Lucinda Whitehurst.