Reviews

The Case of the Missing Hippo by Laura James

bookhamster88's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sandraagee's review against another edition

3.0

Cute mystery for kids just starting to get into chapter books. I liked the bright colors and the quirky characters. The big reveal in the final chapter is the stuff that makes great mysteries, but unfortunately there weren't very many clues leading up to it, so I'm not super clear on how Fabio came to his conclusions. But it was a fun scene to read despite this.

maireador20's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

panda_incognito's review against another edition

3.0

I much preferred the second book in this series, which I read first. The art is vivid, zany, and cute, and the characters are entertaining, but the mystery leaves a lot to be desired. Even though the eventual solution is interesting, there aren't a lot of clues for readers to follow, and the author spent too much of her page count describing different animals' acts in a talent show instead of building the plot.

sharnibee's review against another edition

4.0

Gorgeous, fluorescent fun :)

bel017's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the characters, especially Fabio, and the pictures are great, but I felt the clues to solve the mystery were too obscure for a children's book.

ssejig's review against another edition

3.0

Oh, how I wish that the illustrations had been included in the ARC I got from NetGalley. The story was fine but I think the pictures might have upped my rating.
Violet, the niece of a local hotel owner, is trying to get the hotel some more business by holding a talent show. One of the judges catches a bad cold so Fabio is asked to step in. During the tryouts, the lights go out and a hippo singer disappears. Fabio is immediately on the case. It takes a race at the nearby athletic event to put him on the right track.
This book will probably amuse parents with the arch jokes and wink, winks but I'm not sure how it will appeal to children.

dorre's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cadem's review against another edition

4.0

It was nice.