SCOOP!

In a hilarious caper from the creators of Mystery at Eatum Hall (2004), a nearsighted cub reporter fumbles his way through an investigation, oblivious to the shenanigans going down on every side. Squinting through thick eyeglasses at dreams of journalistic glory, Monty sees his editor and fellow reporters on the Daily Roar saunter into a private party. But all his efforts to crash the venue, from pole-vaulting through a suddenly-not-so-open window to digging a serpentine tunnel, come to naught. Fortunately, however, his camera has been triggering at strategic angles and moments, and his pictures of Bigfoot, Nessie, Elvis and like elusive passersby not only subsequently earn him a week of front-page scoops, but instant national fame, and even a movie deal. Printed in block letters on loose-leaf sheets, the text is nearly superfluous, as Kelly’s elaborate, digitally created nighttime street scenes create an appropriately atmospheric setting for both Monty’s pratfalls and the arrays of monsters, ghosts and dressed-up animals suddenly illuminated by the camera’s flash. Children aren’t the only ones who will “scoop” this up. (Picture book. 6-8)