Belly Up

Kirkus Reviews stated in its review "Overall, the story is great fun, despite a sometimes plodding approach to the narrative that is too reminiscent of a report. In his authorial debut, screenwriter Gibbs combines details of the inner workings of zoos with some over-the-top action for an entertaining read".[2] Publishers Weekly, wrote "A likable protagonist, a very kid-friendly brand of humor, and the outrageous setting should keep readers' interest, especially animal lovers".[3] Common Sense Media gave Belly Up four out of five stars and said in its review of the book, "At times Fitzroy's voice is a bit more adult-like than one might expect from a 12-year-old boy, and the jokes can be a little dated, but this is a fun, engaging read that moves through suspense as if it written for the big screen." [4]

Belly Up is the first installment in the FunJungle Collection, which takes place at a zoo+theme park in central Texas. Other books in the series are Poached (2014), which is about a missing koala; Big Game (2015), a threatened rhinoceros; Panda-monium (2017) an abducted giant panda; Lion Down (2019), a mountain lion falsely accused of killing a famous dog, and "Tyrannosaurus Wrecks", (2020) a T-Rex skull is stolen. [5]