HEIST AND SEEK

Reptilian wisecracking sleuths return for their sixth silly adventure.

Following Braver and Boulder (2022), S.U.I.T. (Special Undercover Investigation Teams) agents Mango and Brash return to solve the case of missing masterpieces from the art museum. The museum’s fundraising gala is fast approaching, and without its beloved paintings (many with chuckle-inducing names like the Bona Lisa by Leodoggo da Vinky), it may have to close its door permanently. Mango and Brash realize this must have been an inside job. Could it have been the curator, Thelonious Snoot, a caterer with an ax to grind, an avant-garde possum artist named Panksy, or museum preparator Savanna the cheetah? With the help of his new S.M.O.C.K. (Supplementing Mango’s Originality, Creativity, and Knowledge), Mango must go even deeper undercover as artist Macaroni Ancheese to see if he can get close enough to crack this case. Green’s latest offering is a fun mystery with the series’ trademark puns and bright illustrations and enough red herrings to keep readers riveted. This is a must-read for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man books wondering what to pick up next. Though this installment falls relatively later in the series, this is a great jumping-in point for new readers that offers tantalizing tidbits that established fans will relish. Thelonious is light-skinned, while the caterer is brown-skinned; background human characters are depicted in a variety of skin tones.

A winner.