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Release date: November 23, 2010 | Age Range: 7 - 9 years | Series: Joey Fly, Private Eye (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 440L (What's this?)
A cold snap has blown into town like an unwanted house pest. But there’s only one guy in the bug city with the power to put crime permanently on ice: Joey Fly, Private Eye. He’s always on the lookout for trouble, and he runs into it when he meets Harry Spyderson, proprietor of the Scarab Beetle Theatre and director of the much-anticipated Bugliacci.
Greta Divawing, the four-winged, long-legged leading lady, has gone missing. Harry hires Joey Fly and his assistant, Sammy Stingtail to crack the case. Can they find Greta in time to save the show?
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Grade 3–5—Entomology and comics come together in this entertaining mystery. Capitalizing on the success of Joey Fly, Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime (Holt, 2009), Reynolds and Numberman have created another case for the hard-boiled private investigator. Tarantula Harry Spyderson reports that butterfly Greta Divawing, star of his Scarab Beetle Theater, is missing. Joey proceeds to round up the suspects, including understudy moth Trixie Featherfeelers. "She was playing a small part in the production. But as they say in showbiz, there are no small parts, only small insects." Rapid-fire puns will keep young readers chuckling. Sammy Stingtail, the scorpion with a rear end that takes up an entire zip code is the bumbling sidekick, unable to piece together the evidence. However, readers with an understanding of insect behavior will deduce what has happened to the leading lady and will enjoy following the clues that reveal her location. An abundance of interesting information on the world of insects and arthropods finds its way into this ever-clever, always-engaging tale. Nice visual foreshadowing gives attentive readers the information that they will need to help Joey solve the case. Illustrations are playful, and nicely suit the atmosphere of the story. The use of alternating monochromatic panels to signal a change of scene is excellent. A find-the-character quiz on the last page will send readers back to the story, searching again for clues.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
This second volume in the Joey Fly, Private Eye graphic-novel series has the trench-coated bug investigator and his goofy scorpion sidekick, Sammy Stingtail, hired by a panicky tarantula stage director after Greta Divawing, the star of his upcoming show, goes missing. The mystery winds up being fairly tame but only after a terrific twist that no one will see coming. Kids just getting into detective capers will enjoy the bug-related gags, medium-boiled dialogue, and Joey Fly’s droll voice-over narration. Numberman’s shifting color schemes and clean, expressive artwork enhance the noirish atmosphere. Grades 3-5. --Ian Chipman
Aaron Reynolds is a children's ministry consultant, speaker, and workshop teacher whose mission is to equip teachers and churches to use the creative arts. He previously served as artistic director of Promiseland, the children's ministry of Willow Creek. He has written and produced over 300 creative scripts and lessons for kids and is the author of several children's books, including The Tale of the Poisonous Yuck Bugs, The Nineteenth of Maquerk, Breaking Out of the Bungle Bird, Chicks and Salsa, and the Tiger Moth series. He lives in the Chicago area with his wonderful wife, two great kids, and four neurotic cats.
I already LOVED the last book, but Joey Fly 2 is an even better told tale, rich with Reynold's clever dialogue, fantastic humor for all ages, and a seriously terrific mystery. Numberman's fantastic cartoons are not only brimming with hilarious personality, but he adds so many wonderful details and visual gags throughout that it rewards multiple re-reads.
I highly recommend giving both of these books as a gift to any young reader (or yourself), as these are truly unique and fun characters regardless of age or interest. This could honestly be destined for classic as a humor series, but I believe getting these stories into the hands of the right reader at the right age will produce enjoyment, memories, and influence in intangible ways.
Clever wordplay takes center stage in "Joey Fly Private Eye 2: Big Hairy Drama". Joey Fly is a classic gumshoe, full of snappy retorts and puns. The only difference between this and other entries in the genre? All of the characters are insects. In the second book in the series, Joey Fly and his bumbling sidekick, Sammy Stingtail, are charged with finding the missing lead actress of a local theater. Investigating the crime gives plenty of opportunities to teach about theater vocabulary and idioms, while following the traditional narrative pattern of a mystery.
"Big Hairy Drama" would serve as a great first graphic novel for readers, as it is very easy to follow. Among the clues (heh) given: the narrative is written in typed boxes, while the dialogue is in a different font, and each setting has a different colored background. These aids not only assist the reader, but also add to the reading experience.
Author Aaron Reynolds and illustrator Neil Numberman have created a series that belong on the shelf in all elementary school classroom libraries.
