The Case of the Missing Mage

Tank & Fizz #3

by Liam O'Donnell, Mike Deas (Illustrator)

As the eve of the great Wizards' Summit approaches, wizards from all over Rockfall Mountain descend on the school at Shadow Tower to refine their craft. When professors start disappearing, it's up to magic-fearing monster sleuths Tank and Fizz to solve this spell-packed mystery and find the missing mages. Aleetha, their detective partner and a wizard-in-training, has dragged Tank and Fizz into the heart of the Shadow Tower, where libraries fly, spells fill the air, and an ancient army of darkness stirs, when she receives a mysterious message from her missing teacher. Using their detective skills, a pinch of magic and a trickle of technology, the friends stumble into a battle that's been brewing for decades. And what starts as a simple missing-persons case turns into a clash of light versus dark magic. Can Tank and Fizz overcome their fears and track down the missing mages before the black magic makes them disappear for good?

The Case of the Missing Mage is the third book in the Tank & Fizz series about two crime-solving monsters living under a mountain, following The Case of the Slime Stampede and The Case of the Battling Bots . Stay tuned for book four, coming spring 2018.

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2017

About the author

I’m an award-winning author, educator and literacy advocate. I have created over 35 graphic novels and books specifically for reluctant readers, including Max Finder Mystery, Graphic Guide Adventures, Geeked Out Mysteries and two new series Tank & Fizz and Battle of the Blocks.

Visit liamodonnell.com and say hi! That'd be awesome.

Reviews

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tank and Fizz are out to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Aleetha's missing professor. They disguise themselves as wizards in training and enter the forbidden Shadow Tower to hunt for clues. This third book in the series is just as original and fun to read as the previous two. The magical locations are somewhat Harry-Potter-like with flying furniture, secret passages and lots of spells which will appeal to young fantasy readers. This series is also excellent for its seamless transitions between text and comic strips. Highly recommended for middle grade readers.

[Kelly (VanIslandCircus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure and another mystery solved by Tank and Fizz.

I enjoyed this story even more then the first two!

I also loved the Dr Who reference, which I think most kids read this book will miss, but I had a good
chuckle.

Another aspect that I enjoy about this series is how it is written in both a novel and comic book style.

My eleven year old really enjoyed this one as well and is already asking when the 4th adventure will be out.

[Sheri Radford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids will probably love this series, which owes a lot to Harry Potter. I, however, found it very jarring to constantly switch between prose and graphic-novel style. I also struggled to figure out all the rules of this universe, but that's my own fault for starting to read a series with book three instead of book one. It was nice to see the different species of monsters working together to solve the problem.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

silver birch express. third installment in the series. mix of graphic and chapter

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEWED September 1, 2017
Rating: Recommended
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-5

Third in the Tank & Fizz series, this book finds the two intrepid, crime-fighting monsters—one a troll, the other a goblin—in the middle of an ancient battle between light and dark magic. The pair must help their elven friend Aleetha discover why the mages are disappearing from the Shadow Tower during the Wizard’s Summit. Readers will be drawn into the mystery by the witty remarks of Fizz, who narrates the tale, and the intertwined block text and graphic novel illustrations. No need for much description in the text, as action rules here with illustrations providing important storyline details. This will appeal to both fantasy and mystery readers as magic and technology both play an important role during the story’s climax. Fast paced and fun to read.