THE 3-2-3 DETECTIVE AGENCY

While heading by train to Whiska City to chase her dream of becoming a detective, Jenny the donkey meets a menagerie of new friends who will make perfect partners in her new venture. Roger, a dung beetle who likes gourmet food, Priscilla, a penguin with theatrical aspirations, Slingshot, an atypically hyper sloth, and Bluebell, a nondescript rat, all sign on. They arrive, find an office and do some detective training before placing their first ad in the paper. The next day, they’re swamped with customers; animals have been disappearing all over Whiska City. Each detective detects, finding clues that point to prissy Pootles le Frizz. He’s brainwashing Whiska City’s denizens and selling them as pets in Pristeena, an exclusive walled community of poodles. With cooperation, franks and beans and a few laughs, the 3-2-3 Detective Agency cracks the case and catches the villain. Robinson’s marker-pen art is bright and energetic, though sometimes hard to decipher in the small panels of her graphically told story. Budding detectives, however, will enjoy the background details that will have them guessing the culprit before the detectives do. Good, goofy fun. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)