This was a great addition to this series and I really love the mystery aspect of them. This one also has dinosaurs, which I loved.

Gibbs is such a popular author in my Media Center and my students always wait for his latest additions to the Spy School and FunJungle Series. This latest in the FunJungle series is definitely a winning addition to the collection.
Teddy returns in another exciting adventure alongside a strong female character, Summer, and together, along with their devoted group of friends, solve the mystery of a missing dinosaur fossil. Gibbs make sure that the reader knows that this is not just a small dinosaur fossil by his stellar writing. The reader will be able to conjure up the size and magnitude of what the juvenile detectives are searching for which makes the book even more appealing..
What's especially welcoming is that there is a message in this book. We learn about the stealing of exotic animals and the cruelty and illegality of it. We learn facts about animals and reptiles even as the thrill of the excavation and chase is at its best. The subject of dinosaurs is always in demand and Gibbs adds to it expertly..

Fans of the Fun Jungle series will enjoy this sixth book in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Teddy Fitzroy, a 6th grader that lives in Fun Jungle employee housing along with his mother,  a famous primatologist, and father, a staff photographer who both work at the zoo park. The story begins with Teddy and his two friends capturing the masked Zebra Spanker at Fun Jungle. The Zebra Spanker, a YouTube sensation, has posted viral videos of him entering thirteen other exhibits while an accomplice filmed him as he smacks zebras on their rear ends. As Sage videos the Zebra Spanker sitting in the otter exhibit with a smoothie on his face,  his mother calls with some bad news. The skull of a rare dinosaur that was being excavated on Sage's family's ranch has mysteriously vanished overnight in the middle of a rainstorm. even though it weighed 500 pounds. Not even a  footprint has been left behind. Since the dinosaur was top secret, the police don’t believe anyone outside the dig could have stolen it. Sage's family was planning on selling the skull and using the profit to keep their ranch running.
Not just an enjoyable mystery, the reader will learn about wildlife conservation as once again, Teddy solves the mystery along with dealing with Illegal anacondas, black-market reptiles.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked that there were 2 main characters - Sunny and Teddy - a boy and a girl. That helps make the book appealing to all children. This is a mystery about dinosaurs - a favorite topic of many children. I liked how the author used the book to make the readers more aware of animal treatment in general and also why people shouldn't have dangerous animal as pets. There were 2 mysteries to solve that were intertwined - who stole Minerva and how were the boys getting the dangerous exotic pets. I think it was a great read with a good balance of dinosaur facts, mysteries to solve and action to keep the reader engaged. I will be happy to buy this book for my library and recommend it to students. Thank you Net Gallery for giving me a digital copy of this book.

I've always liked the books in this series, but I think this is the best one so far in terms of the mystery aspect of the story. It kept me guessing until the very end and even then I was guessing wrong. I can't wait for the next one.

Another dependable Stuart Gibbs' book in the FunJungle series. The usual roundup of familiar faces keeps returning fans engaged but this book could even be read as a stand alone. Stuart Gibbs seamlessly creates an adventure packed page turner which remains subtle and believable. Which is no small feat since the setting is a theme park zoo in Texas where a young boy solves crimes that stump the police. This particular story has a large focus on the reptile black market and thieving archaeologists. While the author strongly drives home the evils of illegal animal smuggling he enjoys describing the eating of a freshly killed cow. Overall it fits right in with the ongoing series.

Like many people, I was fascinated by dinosaurs when I was a kid. As I got older and stopped playing with toys, books filled the void, especially mysteries. Dinosaur mystery = perfect combination. This is the sixth book in the Fun Jungle/Teddy Fitzroy series. The remains of a T-Rex were found on the ranch of one of Teddy’s friends. A team has been brought in to excavate the site -- until one night when the skull disappears. A subplot provides some comic relief. Teddy is a likable character as are his friends and his girlfriend The reading level of the book is accessible for upper elementary kids. I believe it also works for middle school kids because the characters are given a lot of independence.

Stuart Gibbs just keeps on writing middle grades fiction that resounds with my 5th grade library patrons in large numbers and with my stronger 4th grade readers almost as much. Spy School is still my favorite out of his four series, but FunJungle never fails to entertain both me and my students. Teddy never wants to get involved in the animal related mishaps that seem to befall the FunJungle zoo/amusement park in an alarmingly frequent way, but his daughter of the owner/rich/beautiful girlfriend seems to be able to convince him to investigate the catastrophes every time. In Tyrannosaurus Wrecks, there are two serious problems happening simultaneously: a huge Tyrannosaurus skull has gone missing from his friend's ranch turned archeological dig site and the illegal sale of exotic mammals and reptiles is on the rise in their area. Teddy and Summer are great characters who both exhibit intelligence, curiosity, determination, and yet also seem like two kids that could be in any middle school classroom. Supporting characters like Jim and Tim, the completely ignorant bullies who need Teddy's help in this installment should make readers laugh often at their stupid, and frequently dangerous, decisions. Marge the over-weight and over-wrought security guard is also back for a few funny moments, too. A strong plus for Gibbs' books is his keen ability to describe settings and action sequences in a vivid way using vocabulary that is rich and filled with words both familiar and more challenging. In reviews of other Gibbs books, I have noted that occasionally he uses high level words without enough contextual clues to determine meaning, but I did not find that to be true at all in Tyrannosaurus...although the word "bespoke" did come up again. I guess after using it in at least 3 of his books, his fans should probably know what that means by now. I do.

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks is highly recommended for readers of realistic fiction that pushes the envelope of "realistic" and action/adventure mysteries in grades 4-7ish. While many 8th graders may feel like they have outgrown his novels, his faithful fans even in those higher grades will want to read this one. As always, Mr. Gibbs keeps his books free of profanity and sexual content. The violence in them is of the car chase/crash and broken furnishings kind.

Final note: I am truly curious about whether Buc-ees of Texas is happy to be spoofed in this one or if they are put off by the not always positive stereotyping of its "gas-tinations." (That's my husband's word for the world's biggest gas stations and their tendency to be a destination in and of themselves.)

Teddy has done it again! Or should I say Stuart Gibbs, author? Tyrannosaurus Wrecks is fast paced, funny, smart, and just plain fun! Teddy has happens onto a new mystery about a missing T-rex skull found on a friend’s farm. And while he does not want to get involved, he chooses to help his friend, Sage, so his family does not lose their cattle ranch. Suspects are plentiful. There is also the side story of the exotic illegally trafficked animals being sold that Teddy’s girlfriend, Summer, helps to solve. This is an excellent addition to the Fun Jungle series. I look forward to sharing it with my students when it is released.

“All the trouble with the tyrannosaur started the same day Xavier Gonzalez and I helped apprehend the Zebra Spanker.”

Teddy is determined not to get mixed up in any more dangerous investigations. But his best friend, Sage, needs his help. It seems they have found the bones of a Tyrannosaurus on Sage’s family farm. But someone has stolen the skull. How can anyone steal something that ways 500 tons? The police seem to think it’s not worth investigating, but Sage implores Teddy to get involved. The money from the dinosaur bones could save Sage’s family’s ranch. How can Teddy refuse?

At the same time, Teddy gets multiple phone calls from Tim and Jim Barksdale, the two meanest and dumbest bullies at school. It seems their anaconda has just eaten their cat and they are hoping Teddy can tell them how to get the cat back. Really? What are these two doing with a 15-foot anaconda?

Before he knows it, Teddy is not only up to his eyeballs in suspected fossil thieves but also in the illegal reptile business. Just another day for Teddy Fitzroy. As Summer says “There’s never a dull moment with you, is there?”

Move over Indiana Jones! Here comes Teddy Fitzroy! This book is a nonstop action adventure with plenty of humor that will keep students turning pages until the very end.

I have been a big fan of Stuart Gibbs and his books, and this one did not disappoint! It takes place mainly outside or FunJungle, but an extra perk is seeing more involvement from Teddy’s school friends. And who doesn’t want to read about a stolen T Rex head? I can’t wait to share this one with my students!

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book seems to me a little like what might happen if you crossed Carl Hiassen's middle grade books about conservation, and animal protection with John Grisham's Theodore Boone. In this story, Teddy gets roped into two separate situations that seem to be involving criminal activity, neither of which are getting the attention they need from the appropriate law enforcement agencies. First, Teddy's friend has found a Tyrannosaurus on his family's ranch, and just as the family feels it could be the answer to their prayers to save the 12,000 acre ranch, the 500+ pound skull goes missing from the dig site. Meanwhile two local ne'er-do-well brothers seem to be mixed up in an illegal reptile smuggling ring. The boys call Teddy looking for help wrangling their Anaconda who has eaten their cat.

Though this story fell a little flat for me, it will undoubtedly be one kids really enjoy. The story moves quickly and for kids who like animals (dinosaur and otherwise), they'll find lots of interesting info in the book as well.