FISH YOU WERE HERE

Will the Help Wanted sign in the window of Mr. Venezi’s Pets & Stuff Shop bring good or ill?

Befuddled but lovable Mr. Venezi’s still advertising for an assistant to help him in his pet shop. With questions like “on a scale of 1 to 10, have you ever ridden a llama?” interviews are not going well. When ninth-grader Viola arrives, she seems the perfect employee. She turns a light on the lizards. She gives the ferrets tons of toys and tubes. She even puts the correct animal names on the cages; Mr. Venezi had labeled the chinchillas, “gorillas,” among other misnomers. She does so well that guinea pig detective Sasspants becomes suspicious, and Mr. Venezi feels unneeded. When Mr. Venezi turns up missing and Viola, without supervision, starts slacking, Detective Sasspants is on the case. With careful deduction and a cunning plan, Sasspants and her junior partner Hamisher the hamster save the day again! Venable and Yue’s Pet Shop Private Eye graphic series continues to charm. Yue’s adorable pet-shop fur (and scale) people are just as expressive as their human counterparts, and Venable’s gentle mystery and delightful, dry humor will extend Sasspant’s fanbase. Includes information on goldfish and plecos, as well as a list of animal-related jobs at the back.

Great graphic tales for young readers and animal lovers; long may Sasspants detect! (Graphic mystery. 7-11)