Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked

by Jarrett Krosoczka
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

A high school teacher goes missing and there is rampant illegal fish-selling in the school and in the city – what’s the connection, and where’s the teacher? This is a cute and funny mystery, the first in the series, in which the new kid on the squad, Detective Zengo, learns about trusting his gut but also how to think through interactions strategically. I thought his growth in this book was very well paced and the mystery unraveled neatly but not too complicated for a middle-grade novel. Once Zengo earns the trust of his veteran partner, O’Malley, things go much more smoothly. Of course, it doesn’t help that O’Malley’s teenage daughter is mixed up in this somehow. Personally, I saw an allegory between the illegal fish at the high school and illegal drugs, but other than that this is a cute story. (I also love that it takes place in “Kalamazoo City,” which I can only imagine is actually Kalamazoo from my home state of Michigan!)