Last Panda Standing (Platypus Police Squad Series #3)

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Illustrator)

Overview

From Jarrett J. Krosoczka comes Last Panda Standing, the third installment in the hilarious, high-action illustrated middle grade series featuring two platypus detectives, perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and Jarrett's own Lunch Lady series.

The Kalamazoo City mayoral race is heating up, and Frank Pandini Jr. has been threatened by a mysterious assailant. He requests a special Platypus Police Squad protection detail: Detective Rick Zengo. This leaves O'Malley to be partnered up with Jo Cooper, the newest detective on the force. Can Zengo get to the bottom of the attacks—without O'Malley backing him up?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062071682
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Series:	Platypus Police Squad Series , #3
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	211,475
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the author and illustrator of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, a two-time winner of the Children's Choice Book Award, as well as many picture books. He can be heard on "The Book Report with JJK," his radio segment on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live. Jarrett lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his wife, two daughters, and their pug, Ralph Macchio.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the author and illustrator of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, a two-time winner of the Children's Choice Book Award, as well as many picture books. He can be heard on "The Book Report with JJK," his radio segment on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live. Jarrett lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his wife, two daughters, and their pug, Ralph Macchio.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2015
Gr 3–5—Krosoczka brings his trademark whimsy to this animal-studded police procedural. The Platypus Police Squad faces yet another adventure when Detective Rick Zengo is tasked with protecting the life of mayoral candidate Frank Pandini Jr., who was recently attacked—and finding out who's to blame. With detective lingo, standard genre tropes, stock characters, and chapter headings with times and locations à la Law & Order, this light take on the hardboiled mystery is perfect for future fans of the genre.

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
You don't need a gun in Kalamazoo City. When a candidate for mayor is attacked by a masked intruder, the weapon is a boomerang. And when the Kalamazoo police squad takes on a gang of criminals, they're all throwing boomerangs. That gives the story a genteel, civilized feel, but sometimes the device gets a little silly. Near the climax, Detective Zengo—who's guarding the candidate—is grabbed by a thug and feels "the cold steel of a boomerang, placed at his temple." Of course, in a novel in which the assailant is a squirrel and the candidate is a panda, a boomerang doesn't seem that odd. Most of the time, the story isn't nearly silly enough. For a long stretch in the middle of the book, the detectives do nothing but tour a factory. It's remarkably dull even though they're variously disguised in wigs, cowboy boots, and a purple velvet sweatsuit. The small touches do work, like a business called Frank's Franks and a five-star nightclub that serves root beer floats. It's all a little quaint, like the old sitcoms where married couples slept in separate beds.In the end, readers may wish the book were a little more exciting and a little less genteel. (Mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews