Missing Monkey! by Mary Amato (review)

The progeny of two enthusiastic criminals, narrator Billy Crook and his twin sister, Jillian, find themselves with an unfamiliar (and un-familial) desire to do (gasp!) good deeds. When their parents turn the twins’ covert volunteer effort at the zoo into a monkey-stealing operation (they plan to teach the little guy how to pickpocket), Billy and Jillian vow to secretly return “Razzle” to his home. The plan hits a snag when Razzle nicks Jillian’s automatic lock-picker invention and frees several of the zoo’s residents, after which giraffe-wrangling, elephant poop-scooping, and other hijinks ensue. Fortunately, the duo manages to get everybody back in their cages, and their activities also help to fertilize the zoo’s flower beds (where Billy stashed the droppings of the freed elephants) and trim the greenery (thanks to the loose gazelles and giraffes). Zany, lightweight middle-grade series, in which character development and believable plotting take a back seat to milk-snorting entertainment, are a dime a dozen. However, Amato’s playful, genuinely funny writing (“‘Droppings’ is a polite way to describe the doo-doo that elephants will do-do on the sidewalk if you let them”) and her keen understanding of the middle-grade audience make this a solid winner. Quick pacing, plentiful humor, a large font, and the numerous illustrations will reassure reluctant readers. Jenkins’ lively, monochromatic art has a cartoonish flavor that successfully partners with the wackiness of the book’s events. Fans of Captain Underpants or Amato’s Riot Brothers series may find the Crooks equally satisfying.