Belly Up

The story is set from the view of Teddy FitzRoy, a 12-year-old boy who is the son of a photographer and a gorilla researcher, and his friend Summer, J.J.'s daughter, investigate the suspicious death of Henry Hippo, FunJungle's mascot.

Summer and Teddy sneak into Henry's pool to investigate his death, finding a metal ball with sharp points, revealed to be a toy jack from the gift shop filed down, and a groove in the bottom with a chain.

It is revealed that Martin blackmailed Doc to keep his illegal activities secret by threatening to turn in his daughter, a member of the Animal Liberation Front (who were also briefly Henry murder suspects), for blowing up a meat-packing plant.

The story ends with Marge O'Malley being promoted after stopping Buck's escape attempt, J.J. promising to hold off on the rides, and Teddy and Summer watching the birth of Henry's son a month later.

[3] Common Sense Media gave Belly Up four out of five stars and said in its review of the book, "At times Fitzroy's voice is a bit more adult-like than one might expect from a 12-year-old boy, and the jokes can be a little dated, but this is a fun, engaging read that moves through suspense as if it written for the big screen.

Other books in the series are Poached (2014), which is about a stolen koala with Teddy being the prime suspect; Big Game (2015), a rare pregnant Asian rhino is threatened by mysterious gunshots; Panda-monium (2017) an abducted giant panda and Marge O'Malley asking Teddy to solve the case before the FBI, which includes her sister; Lion Down (2019), a mountain lion falsely accused of killing a famous dog; Tyrannosaurus Wrecks (2020), a T-Rex skull is stolen, Bear Bottom (2021), bison disappear from a ranch; and Whale Done (2023), a dead whale found on a beach in Malibu explodes.