Poached by Stuart Gibbs is a fun story about an amazing zoo. Not just any zoo, but Funjungle, the biggest theme park in the world. The story takes place in Texas, around now. Teddy Fitzroy, (the main character), is living at the amazing zoo! As pretty much any average school, there is a bully. And Vance the bully forces Teddy to play a classic prank on Funjungle. Putting ketchup on top of a mannequin’s leg and dropping it into a shark tank was the last thing Teddy needed to be doing. When security of Funjungle caught the boys, they ran for it and Teddy ended up hiding in the koala room. Coincidentally, that night, the koala gets kidnapped. Head of security, already on Teddy’s nerves, is spending valuable time trying to prove he poached the koala. Then Teddy realizes two things, number one he has been framed, And number two, if no one is going to look for the real koala-napper, Teddy Fitzroy, at age twelve, will have to crack the case himself.
Three adjectives I would use to describe Teddy would be sneaky, brave, and unsympathetic. I would say he is sneaky because he tries to hide from the police and learn top secret information, that maybe he shouldn’t know. I think Teddy is brave because it takes a lot of gut to sneak around the police, especially when they think you’re the culprit. I also think he is unsympathetic because he pulls a lot of pranks on Funjungle, not realizing how it will effect his beloved zoo, and the people who work there.
I thought the most interesting part of Poached was when the zoo found out who actually stole the koala. This part was interesting to me because the way everyone in the situation acts, reflects a lot about there personality. If people react nicely, then they might be kind and sorry for accusing Teddy. If they weren’t sorry and still trying to prove that Teddy was the culprit, than they are stubborn and persistent. Another interesting thing that showed up in this chapter was that people were so honest and showed what they really felt, even if they were trying to build a reputation.
I definitely enjoyed Poached because it was a fun mystery as well as a thrilling animal book where you really get to know all the characters and creatures. I would recommend this book to animal lovers and mystery lovers. Teddy Fitzroy is unique in the way that he loves animals, lives in a zoo, and came back from a recent trip to Congo, Africa. I would give Poached 5 stars because of the book plot and unique setting and characters.
Now I want to read this book because it sounds so fun and cool!
This book sounds like a comedy. I would personally love to read this book because comedies are my favorite. CC, is your favorite genre comedy?
Margot: I am a BIG fan of comedy… so yes, comedy is my favorite genre
The book sounds really funny! I am reading Spy School which is by the same author. And so far it is good too!
Zach is reading Spy School too!!
This book sounds like a fun read because it is about sneaking around a zoo! I think the way you talked about his personality was very clear and easy to understand.
This sounds like a such good book, I can’t wait to read it. I bet the writing is so good.
The book seems very mysterious and makes me want to know what happened to the koala. I want to read it because I want to hear more about the pranks he plays at funjungle and how he lives there.
Luca: Yes, the pranks are my favorite part, they make the story more interesting. (Especially for kids who like to play pranks themselves.)
Your book review is very well written, and motivated me to read the book!
CC, I can’t wait to read this book. I have never really been into reading mystery but this book sounds amazing. I love the way you described Teddy and his personality.
I agree! I didn’t know if I should get the book because of mystery (to me it sometimes gets boring) but the book focuses also on the life of Teddy, which includes animals so that was what drew my attention!
Poached sounds like a good book because you explained a lot about the people and I like that he has to crack the koala case AND prove he didn’t steal/kill the koala.
I have read a lot of Stuart Gibbs books and I read Belly Up which is a funjungle book. I might read this.
Ooooh! That sounds like a really good book! You can get it at any average bookstore right?
Yes. I am pretty sure. You might want to read the books in the order of the series though, (Belly Up, then Poached, Then Big game!)
Hi CC. What got me into reading this book review is how interesting the cover looked and I really wanted to know what was on the cover. Now I know what it is though!
You really did a great job of answering everyone’s questions. I feel like Gibbs really is a break out author of the past few years. Maybe you will want to do a book talk on one of these?
That would be great! I enjoyed all 3 books and would be happy to talk about them!!!
I really enjoyed your review! I really liked how you put a lot of details in. I also liked how you explained everything really clear.