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The Endangered Files #1
The Case of the Cursed Dodo
This is an alternate cover edition for B00Q382PV0
If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way. This is the first of my many misadventures. A wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals. I'm calling this jungle noir The Case of the Cursed Dodo.
This hilarious first installment of The Endangered Files follows Jake, a hardboiled panda detective, and an unusual cast of endangered creatures on a globe-trotting adventure that will appeal to young and old alike.
If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way. This is the first of my many misadventures. A wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals. I'm calling this jungle noir The Case of the Cursed Dodo.
This hilarious first installment of The Endangered Files follows Jake, a hardboiled panda detective, and an unusual cast of endangered creatures on a globe-trotting adventure that will appeal to young and old alike.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2014
6 people are currently reading
627 people want to read
About the author
Jake G. Panda
1 book35 followersJake G. Panda is a wildlife investigator. A hardboiled Winnie-the-Pooh. He likes bamboo and saving endangered animals. He is the author of The Endangered Files, a mystery series about his misadventures in the protection business.
His partner in crime, the fella who helps write these books because, let's be honest, it's not easy typing with big, clunky bear paws, resides somewhere in New England. He has written his fair share of stuff, mostly for the big screen. And some of it has actually been projected. He likes to keep a low profile and lets Jake do all the talking.
Feel free to contact Jake at jakegpanda@gmail.com
His partner in crime, the fella who helps write these books because, let's be honest, it's not easy typing with big, clunky bear paws, resides somewhere in New England. He has written his fair share of stuff, mostly for the big screen. And some of it has actually been projected. He likes to keep a low profile and lets Jake do all the talking.
Feel free to contact Jake at jakegpanda@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
December 27, 2014
Jake Panda was the Last Resort hotel’s resident detective, keeping watch on the activities of the many and varied guests who were all endangered animals. When he received a phone call from his friend, the Professor who said he was in danger, it set the path for an adventure of the strangest kind.
The Professor had found a suitcase in the middle of the Sahara desert; it was important he said, but he was concerned there were others after it. Jake immediately headed to the Professor’s rescue – he found himself tangled up with the Underground who were intent on saving the endangered species, some “bad guy” animals, and an old flame. Plus the strange and enigmatic Dodo.
This animal adventure for young and old is intriguing. The writing of the book has been set out as if we were watching a movie – there are illustrations of the various animals dotted throughout as well. A mystery story revolving solely around endangered animals, it is a quick, easy detective read of the old fashioned variety.
With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
The Professor had found a suitcase in the middle of the Sahara desert; it was important he said, but he was concerned there were others after it. Jake immediately headed to the Professor’s rescue – he found himself tangled up with the Underground who were intent on saving the endangered species, some “bad guy” animals, and an old flame. Plus the strange and enigmatic Dodo.
This animal adventure for young and old is intriguing. The writing of the book has been set out as if we were watching a movie – there are illustrations of the various animals dotted throughout as well. A mystery story revolving solely around endangered animals, it is a quick, easy detective read of the old fashioned variety.
With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
September 1, 2015
What a fun little book! A little Sam Spade and Casablanca, endangered species, poachers, romance and danger! I really enjoyed this children's book. I loved the humor and the twists and turns in the book. It was noir but not dark noir. A great send-up of the genre.
January 30, 2015
The author of this book contacted me here on Goodreads to ask if I was interested in reading a digital copy of this book and reviewing it. Of course, I could not turn down the opportunity to read a book about a panda detective, and I enjoyed it very much. There were a lot of fun endangered animal characters and jokes, and I think that if this book had existed when I was the target age, I would definitely have been a fan.
The book is written in a film noir style, and although this could have been gimmicky, it came off quite well. The black and white sketches before each chapter helped set the mood, and the whole book read with the dark, crackly feel of an old black-and-white film. I was impressed by how evocative the style was, and how excellently the screenplay style fits with the chapter book format. The story was very heavy on dialogue, but none of it seemed like superfluous filler: either it impacted the plot and characters or it lent to the general sense of place.
The screenplay style made it feel like a movie, but the book does not read like a script. It still has the rhythm and wholeness of a novel, and the POV is well executed, making it really feel like a narrated story. As a writer myself, I was impressed by how well the author balanced the film noir style with the children's genre, and even though the plot was not as detailed as I would have liked, it worked very well as a chapter book.
I also appreciated the use of dialect. Usually, a book seems very contrived when dialogue is misspelled to the phonetic pronunciation of someone's accent or speech style, but here it worked quite well. The dialect was so intentional and carefully balanced that instead of being overwhelming or hard to read, it made the voices sound in my head and increased the general impression that this was like a film.
Children reading this cannot fully appreciate the cleverness or genre jokes, but should find the story quite interesting and involving. I personally enjoyed it very much, and even if I am perhaps biased because the main character was a loveable panda bear, I assure you that this is my honest review in exchange for the pleasure of reading the free copy.
The book is written in a film noir style, and although this could have been gimmicky, it came off quite well. The black and white sketches before each chapter helped set the mood, and the whole book read with the dark, crackly feel of an old black-and-white film. I was impressed by how evocative the style was, and how excellently the screenplay style fits with the chapter book format. The story was very heavy on dialogue, but none of it seemed like superfluous filler: either it impacted the plot and characters or it lent to the general sense of place.
The screenplay style made it feel like a movie, but the book does not read like a script. It still has the rhythm and wholeness of a novel, and the POV is well executed, making it really feel like a narrated story. As a writer myself, I was impressed by how well the author balanced the film noir style with the children's genre, and even though the plot was not as detailed as I would have liked, it worked very well as a chapter book.
I also appreciated the use of dialect. Usually, a book seems very contrived when dialogue is misspelled to the phonetic pronunciation of someone's accent or speech style, but here it worked quite well. The dialect was so intentional and carefully balanced that instead of being overwhelming or hard to read, it made the voices sound in my head and increased the general impression that this was like a film.
Children reading this cannot fully appreciate the cleverness or genre jokes, but should find the story quite interesting and involving. I personally enjoyed it very much, and even if I am perhaps biased because the main character was a loveable panda bear, I assure you that this is my honest review in exchange for the pleasure of reading the free copy.
April 13, 2015
When Jake G. Panda, private eye and protector of endangered species, discovers his friend the Professor is in trouble, he sets out to find him and solve the case of the Green Dodo. The Case of the Cursed Dodo reads like a 1940's movie script. We can clearly imagine what it would look like on the screen because it includes simple camera directions, the layout of scenes, and the specifics of character actions. Black and white grainy photos spark our imaginations further.
Cinematic-worthy descriptions establish two distinct tones reminiscent of classic movies, the first is the private eye flick with its flair for the dramatic, and the other is adventure serials with all their exciting set pieces. Jake's personality combines the aspects of protagonists from this time period; unfortunately his actions are a bit inconsistent because some of these don't mesh perfectly. When we first meet him he has the tough-guy attitude and speech of characters like Sam Spade, but this changes for the action parts. The author tones down the rougher edges of these archetypes by putting it in a fuzzy form, thus making it more child-friendly. Some animals are purposely incongruous with their roles, like the pilot being a Galapagos tortoise, while others, such as the Tibetan snowcock who is a cock-fighter, fit the part to a T. Between this, the chase scenes, and some animal-based jokes, there is quite a bit of levity to balance out the more serious aspects. In this story, wealth comes not in the form of gold or jewels, but in endangered species. Humans, and their animal collaborators hunt down the rare, and the author names many of those that are currently at risk. We hear about their plight from their own perspective which makes their need for help all the stronger.
Children can learn a lot about movies from this book. In terms of the written form, the author frequently uses movie jargon, capitalizing these words to distinguish them from the rest of the text. While most children will not catch the references to the Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and the Orient Express, it will not detract from their enjoyment of the story. This however, makes it a reading experience that children and their guardians can share. Older readers will either know of these, or will have fond memories towards them, thus they can pass this knowledge on to the next generation. With all the makings of a great movie, The Case of the Cursed Dodo is a fun adventure and detective novel, that will leave kids and adults wanting more.
(This reviewer was given a free copy in exchange for a review)
Cinematic-worthy descriptions establish two distinct tones reminiscent of classic movies, the first is the private eye flick with its flair for the dramatic, and the other is adventure serials with all their exciting set pieces. Jake's personality combines the aspects of protagonists from this time period; unfortunately his actions are a bit inconsistent because some of these don't mesh perfectly. When we first meet him he has the tough-guy attitude and speech of characters like Sam Spade, but this changes for the action parts. The author tones down the rougher edges of these archetypes by putting it in a fuzzy form, thus making it more child-friendly. Some animals are purposely incongruous with their roles, like the pilot being a Galapagos tortoise, while others, such as the Tibetan snowcock who is a cock-fighter, fit the part to a T. Between this, the chase scenes, and some animal-based jokes, there is quite a bit of levity to balance out the more serious aspects. In this story, wealth comes not in the form of gold or jewels, but in endangered species. Humans, and their animal collaborators hunt down the rare, and the author names many of those that are currently at risk. We hear about their plight from their own perspective which makes their need for help all the stronger.
Children can learn a lot about movies from this book. In terms of the written form, the author frequently uses movie jargon, capitalizing these words to distinguish them from the rest of the text. While most children will not catch the references to the Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and the Orient Express, it will not detract from their enjoyment of the story. This however, makes it a reading experience that children and their guardians can share. Older readers will either know of these, or will have fond memories towards them, thus they can pass this knowledge on to the next generation. With all the makings of a great movie, The Case of the Cursed Dodo is a fun adventure and detective novel, that will leave kids and adults wanting more.
(This reviewer was given a free copy in exchange for a review)
December 27, 2014
I had a great time reading this book.
This book is a classic-style detective novel, but with pandas and endangered animals. Our main character is Jake, a panda, endangered species, and resident detective at a hotel called Last Resort.
When a phone call between Jake and his best bud the Professor (a hare) is suddenly cut off, Jake rushes to solve the mystery and find his friend. Along the way, Jake encounters a vast array of interesting characters, all of whom are a different kind of animal.
Some of my favourites:
- A driver who literally works for peanuts.
- A tortoise who runs an airline that gets you to the destination, but doesn’t land the plane – instead, the de-boarding procedure involves parachutes and freefalling
- The Professor, of course. Who wouldn’t love an eccentric, Indiana Jones-style bunny rabbit (read: lovable hare - not actually a bunny rabbit).
- A nimble orangutan bartender
- The wildlife resistance.
The style of writing is intriguing and makes for fast paced, exciting storytelling that is extremely visual. Writing the story in the scene-by-scene style of a classic film, plus the images throughout, make it easy to visualise the story even though a quick Google might be needed every now and then to see the animals that Jake encounters in his travels.
Themes surrounding endangered species are present throughout in a way that made me think of the plight of endangered species without feeling like I was being told to act or think in a certain way, or being preached to. This was well done, and lets the book be a fun talking point rather than a manifesto. The Case of the Cursed Dodo would be a great way to start a discussion with kids about endangered species and the environment in a way that’s really fun and engaging. This book would actually be really fun to act out – it has the scenes, heaps of fun characters, a voiceover, everything. Or maybe that’s me being a nerd, but seriously.
5/5
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy to review, although this didn’t influence my review.
This review was originally posted on IndieYAYA, a review site for self-pubbed and Indie YA novels at: http://indieyaya.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...
This book is a classic-style detective novel, but with pandas and endangered animals. Our main character is Jake, a panda, endangered species, and resident detective at a hotel called Last Resort.
When a phone call between Jake and his best bud the Professor (a hare) is suddenly cut off, Jake rushes to solve the mystery and find his friend. Along the way, Jake encounters a vast array of interesting characters, all of whom are a different kind of animal.
Some of my favourites:
- A driver who literally works for peanuts.
- A tortoise who runs an airline that gets you to the destination, but doesn’t land the plane – instead, the de-boarding procedure involves parachutes and freefalling
- The Professor, of course. Who wouldn’t love an eccentric, Indiana Jones-style bunny rabbit (read: lovable hare - not actually a bunny rabbit).
- A nimble orangutan bartender
- The wildlife resistance.
The style of writing is intriguing and makes for fast paced, exciting storytelling that is extremely visual. Writing the story in the scene-by-scene style of a classic film, plus the images throughout, make it easy to visualise the story even though a quick Google might be needed every now and then to see the animals that Jake encounters in his travels.
Themes surrounding endangered species are present throughout in a way that made me think of the plight of endangered species without feeling like I was being told to act or think in a certain way, or being preached to. This was well done, and lets the book be a fun talking point rather than a manifesto. The Case of the Cursed Dodo would be a great way to start a discussion with kids about endangered species and the environment in a way that’s really fun and engaging. This book would actually be really fun to act out – it has the scenes, heaps of fun characters, a voiceover, everything. Or maybe that’s me being a nerd, but seriously.
5/5
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy to review, although this didn’t influence my review.
This review was originally posted on IndieYAYA, a review site for self-pubbed and Indie YA novels at: http://indieyaya.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...
February 8, 2015
I will say before I write this review that my opinion on it might be lessened by a few things: 1. It was an ebook, and I enjoy ebook format less than actual books 2. I'm 33 years old AND 3. I read it in a few bunches with lots of time in between. I might be overly critical.
I read and am reviewing this book because I was given a copy of the ebook to read. The first thing I noticed is that a lot of time and effort seem to be put into this series. It's stylish, the illustrations at each chapter are well done, it's well thought out, and seems to be enjoying an aggressive marketing campaign.
The book itself is an homage to classic film noir, with Jake the Panda as its hardboiled detective. Unfortunately, it's not a movie, it's a book trying to be a movie, written like a script. This got on my nerves more than once and took away from my connection to the story and the characters. This book had every film noir cliche stuffed into it, but this usually came across as fun since they are all animals. There seems to be only one main female character in the book, who while strong-willed and intelligent, also gets kidnapped and has to be rescued.
The plot was confusing at times, I'm not sure why anyone cared about the suitcase or the green dodo since no one seemed to know what it was for and what it would lead to. Also, the ending made no sense at all. I was sort of going along with the fun until the ending, when I was like, "Uhhhhhhhhh....what? How did that happen?"
I would have liked to have learned a little bit more about the endangered animals that are mentioned in the book, and maybe get a little more description of what they look like and where they're from. Of course, some of them I already knew all about, like dodos and condors, but the more obscure ones would have been fun to learn about.
The good things about the book were that I could see this being an interesting series. I liked the hotel, what we learned about it. The artic wing was pretty neat. There wasn't anything ultimately surprising or anything that elevated the genre beyond anything that it already was, but it was a fun caper with some humor and hijinks.
Also, this has kind of been done before with Bug Muldoon, and Bug did it better.
I read and am reviewing this book because I was given a copy of the ebook to read. The first thing I noticed is that a lot of time and effort seem to be put into this series. It's stylish, the illustrations at each chapter are well done, it's well thought out, and seems to be enjoying an aggressive marketing campaign.
The book itself is an homage to classic film noir, with Jake the Panda as its hardboiled detective. Unfortunately, it's not a movie, it's a book trying to be a movie, written like a script. This got on my nerves more than once and took away from my connection to the story and the characters. This book had every film noir cliche stuffed into it, but this usually came across as fun since they are all animals. There seems to be only one main female character in the book, who while strong-willed and intelligent, also gets kidnapped and has to be rescued.
The plot was confusing at times, I'm not sure why anyone cared about the suitcase or the green dodo since no one seemed to know what it was for and what it would lead to. Also, the ending made no sense at all. I was sort of going along with the fun until the ending, when I was like, "Uhhhhhhhhh....what? How did that happen?"
I would have liked to have learned a little bit more about the endangered animals that are mentioned in the book, and maybe get a little more description of what they look like and where they're from. Of course, some of them I already knew all about, like dodos and condors, but the more obscure ones would have been fun to learn about.
The good things about the book were that I could see this being an interesting series. I liked the hotel, what we learned about it. The artic wing was pretty neat. There wasn't anything ultimately surprising or anything that elevated the genre beyond anything that it already was, but it was a fun caper with some humor and hijinks.
Also, this has kind of been done before with Bug Muldoon, and Bug did it better.
February 23, 2015
I'm always on the lookout for a book that my kiddo and I can enjoy together. The Case of the Cursed Dodo caught my eye for its engaging cover. It has a very old classic detective story feel to it, with the actual cover having an intentional distressed look that I wish you could see. The author and main character (Jake G. Panda), refers to the writing style for the story as endanger'd'scope or jungle noir, meaning the writing has a movie script feel with lines that include CUING IN, DISSOLVE TO and FADING IN. We really enjoyed this and felt like there was a whole visual aspect to the story that rooted you in the scene and the action. It had a Chet Gecko (by Bruce Hale) Mystery series vibe going on. The Book synopsis gives you a feel for the writing style...
"If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way. This is the first of my many misadventures. A wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals. I'm calling this jungle noir The Case of the Cursed Dodo."
We loved the old movie terminology (fuzz, hotel snoop, flophouse) and that it was packed with endangered species. Lots of fun. The Case of the Cursed Dodo includes lots of humor, mystery, adventure and animal jokes that define the animals nature. "Ernie's the hotel driver. A thick-skinned pachyderm with a chip on his shoulder. He lost his tusks in a hunting accident. And he's not the kinda guy to quickly forget. But I had a soft spot for the big fella. He had a lead foot and worked for peanuts."
We also really enjoyed the black and white illustrations that punctuated the beginning of each chapter, highlighting the upcoming action. Overall, a fun, entertaining story written in a unique style that will appeal to middle grade readers and parents alike.
In exchange for an honest review, I received a review copy from the author for free, which will be donated to the Public Middle School library following my review.
"If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way. This is the first of my many misadventures. A wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals. I'm calling this jungle noir The Case of the Cursed Dodo."
We loved the old movie terminology (fuzz, hotel snoop, flophouse) and that it was packed with endangered species. Lots of fun. The Case of the Cursed Dodo includes lots of humor, mystery, adventure and animal jokes that define the animals nature. "Ernie's the hotel driver. A thick-skinned pachyderm with a chip on his shoulder. He lost his tusks in a hunting accident. And he's not the kinda guy to quickly forget. But I had a soft spot for the big fella. He had a lead foot and worked for peanuts."
We also really enjoyed the black and white illustrations that punctuated the beginning of each chapter, highlighting the upcoming action. Overall, a fun, entertaining story written in a unique style that will appeal to middle grade readers and parents alike.
In exchange for an honest review, I received a review copy from the author for free, which will be donated to the Public Middle School library following my review.
May 2, 2015
When I heard from Jake G. Panda himself, I couldn't help but make my way over to Amazon and read a bit of the sample. It looked like such fun, and my curiosity was grabbed. It looked like something I would love, and gladly decided to make my way into the whole thing.
In this story, Jake is telling his side of things concerning the mystery surrounding a suitcase that has been found. There's plenty of danger and action that follows. I could easily hear Humphrey Bogart or even Harrison Ford as his voice. Jake has a dry sense of humor and a serious demeanor, but he still made me snicker. He loves solving mysteries, and he's determined to close this case, even if a new one will be opened soon after.
Right from the start, this book has a quirky, yet old fashioned kind of feel to it. It's written as if it's a movie script, which helped my mind visualize things better, especially the scene changes. It was a fun and creative way to change things up a bit for young readers, and I liked it! I also enjoyed the black and white pictures at the start of the chapters. These added to the old fashion detective movie feel of the book.
As a bonus, I always like children's book that slyly add in a bit of education. Within this book, the reader learns a bit more about animals that are endangered, or extinct, and even little facts here and there concerning animals, like the fact that pandas only eat bamboo. Many different animals, with many different personalities, make their way into the story, and it was fun to challenge my mind into remembering which one was which.
Overall, this was a fun mystery, and I had fun reading about Jake's first case. The story ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger, letting us know Jake has a new case. I'm curious to see what happens next for him!
(Note: The old name for "detective" is used within the story a few times. While it's used innocently, it does have a very negative meaning these days. Plus, there ARE still men with that name. ;) I thought I'd mention just in case that might bother you or your children or you might want to know ahead of time to explain its meaning within the story. )
*I was provided an e-copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.
In this story, Jake is telling his side of things concerning the mystery surrounding a suitcase that has been found. There's plenty of danger and action that follows. I could easily hear Humphrey Bogart or even Harrison Ford as his voice. Jake has a dry sense of humor and a serious demeanor, but he still made me snicker. He loves solving mysteries, and he's determined to close this case, even if a new one will be opened soon after.
Right from the start, this book has a quirky, yet old fashioned kind of feel to it. It's written as if it's a movie script, which helped my mind visualize things better, especially the scene changes. It was a fun and creative way to change things up a bit for young readers, and I liked it! I also enjoyed the black and white pictures at the start of the chapters. These added to the old fashion detective movie feel of the book.
As a bonus, I always like children's book that slyly add in a bit of education. Within this book, the reader learns a bit more about animals that are endangered, or extinct, and even little facts here and there concerning animals, like the fact that pandas only eat bamboo. Many different animals, with many different personalities, make their way into the story, and it was fun to challenge my mind into remembering which one was which.
Overall, this was a fun mystery, and I had fun reading about Jake's first case. The story ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger, letting us know Jake has a new case. I'm curious to see what happens next for him!
(Note: The old name for "detective" is used within the story a few times. While it's used innocently, it does have a very negative meaning these days. Plus, there ARE still men with that name. ;) I thought I'd mention just in case that might bother you or your children or you might want to know ahead of time to explain its meaning within the story. )
*I was provided an e-copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 14, 2017
This hilarious "jungle noir" mystery features endangered animals, a panda detective, villainous snakes and shrews, and one very enigmatic green bird.
Jake G. Panda is a hotel detective who gets involved in a mystery that will lead him on an adventure across the Sahara, through Morocco, and to fabled lost cities in Asia. Following the signs of the green bird, Jake has to fight off not only poaching humans, but also back-stabbing animals willing to make a few dollars on other animals' misery.
The humor is wonderful with lots of puns and classic lines from film noir! It reads like a funny version of the Maltese Falcon or Casablanca. It's hilarious and delightful to read!
The characters are mostly endangered species with their own funny characteristics; the grumpy waitress at the diner, the jovial hotel clerk with a past to hide, the dumb but loyal sidekick, and of course the beautiful femme fatale singer in the club.
The only thing I didn't like was the writing style. It's written in present tense which always gets on my nerves, and there are cues as though it were a movie script. Sometimes it cuts to another scene and I have to stop and figure out where things are happening; that was jarring, and I wish it flowed more smoothly or had page breaks in between scenes to help show more clearly that the scene has changed. But that's just my personal peeve; it's actually written clearly and well.
A very fun book for kids to educate them about different types of endangered species without feeling like a textbook lesson!
Jake G. Panda is a hotel detective who gets involved in a mystery that will lead him on an adventure across the Sahara, through Morocco, and to fabled lost cities in Asia. Following the signs of the green bird, Jake has to fight off not only poaching humans, but also back-stabbing animals willing to make a few dollars on other animals' misery.
The humor is wonderful with lots of puns and classic lines from film noir! It reads like a funny version of the Maltese Falcon or Casablanca. It's hilarious and delightful to read!
The characters are mostly endangered species with their own funny characteristics; the grumpy waitress at the diner, the jovial hotel clerk with a past to hide, the dumb but loyal sidekick, and of course the beautiful femme fatale singer in the club.
The only thing I didn't like was the writing style. It's written in present tense which always gets on my nerves, and there are cues as though it were a movie script. Sometimes it cuts to another scene and I have to stop and figure out where things are happening; that was jarring, and I wish it flowed more smoothly or had page breaks in between scenes to help show more clearly that the scene has changed. But that's just my personal peeve; it's actually written clearly and well.
A very fun book for kids to educate them about different types of endangered species without feeling like a textbook lesson!
May 7, 2015
3.5 stars. This is ananthropomorphized animal story presented in the form of Film Noir. It has an underlying lesson about endangered species, whch garnered the extra .5 star from me. It was an interesting story and I chuckled quite a bit while reading it. It is categorized as Middle Grade, but I see it being better understood and enjoyed by the upper MG ages, and borderline YA ages. Writing it in a "screenplay" format detracted from the story, and the illustrations were only marginally good. It is a fabulous idea, but could have been executed in a more younger reader friendly way. I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I will not be reviewing this book on my blog because it is under four stars.
December 31, 2014
The style reminds me a bit of Bruce Hale's Chet Gecko stories. The characters in this book are endangered animals, which is an interesting twist, and the story is told as though the reader is watching an old black and white movie. The characteristics of the animals are used in the plot and create some humorous mental pictures; a manatee floats on an inner tube, and a snake is tied in knots to a rickshaw. The story was easy to read and flowed nicely. The adventure, mystery, and humor made this a very fun book to read!
March 18, 2015
Watch my full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HPbY...
Never before have I read a jungle noir book so this was quite the experience! I really liked that we were following animals, or more precisely endangered species. It gave everything that they did a bit more of an urgency feeling. I also really liked the mystery, it was really well done! What I missed a bit in this book were characters with more depth. We got to know a lot of characters but only vaguely. I would have liked to be able to connect more with them but maybe that will happen in the next book.
Never before have I read a jungle noir book so this was quite the experience! I really liked that we were following animals, or more precisely endangered species. It gave everything that they did a bit more of an urgency feeling. I also really liked the mystery, it was really well done! What I missed a bit in this book were characters with more depth. We got to know a lot of characters but only vaguely. I would have liked to be able to connect more with them but maybe that will happen in the next book.
July 2, 2015
This is a great book for middle school kids to read. It has some stuff I couldn't follow because I was born too early - but my kids knew exactly what it was referring to! I was given a copy by the author who is using this to introduce a series. A wealth of characters are introduced in this book. Fun reading for all, tho I do feel as though it tends to lean towards a particular 13 year old male mindset, but again, that could just be me. Anybody that likes Pandas could enjoy this!
October 23, 2017
I loved this book and could totally see it as a movie - but the radio script audio is a fabulous format and as much for adults as kids. This would be fantastic in the classroom or on the schoolrun. Jungle Noir rocks! More Jake G Panda please!
October 27, 2017
First in The Endangered Files jungle noir mystery series for middle-grade readers with anthropomorphized animals as the characters.
I received a copy from the author.
My Take
This is way too funny. I enjoyed Panda’s take on this book as a movie, and he’s filled it with all sorts of punny bits such as “Wildlife’s Last Resort”. Yep, he’s taking on those old clichés and making them work *more laughter*
Oh, lord, imagining Jake showing the Professor’s picture around the bazaar was another crack-up. I did like that lunkhead joke. As for that typewriter… It never stood a chance.
I did have a few quibbles. It was difficult to figure out Panda's location (world-wise) when he was out on the trail. And I didn't know there was a train to Marrakech nor all that greenery around the resort area. I'd also like to know why the hotel needs artifacts??
The obligatory whine over, as you read, you’ll hear the voice of those 1940s noir mysteries. I can almost hear Humphrey Bogart speaking! Okay, okay, so it's Jake's perspective using a first-person protagonist point-of-view, but I could swear it was Bogart! The action is still as noir-ish as you’d like, although it does include a deus ex machina with that last-minute, sad save at the end.
Panda does rescue the very end with all that new help at the hotel. I gotta read the next installment, if only to see how the staff works out, lol.
The Story
If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way.
Only. I didn't plan on a wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals.
The Characters
Jake G. Panda is a hardboiled detective, a panda in a tie who could substitute for Sam Spade. Eddie, a woolly mountain tapir, likes his bow ties and is Jake’s associate.
The Last Resort is…
…a flophouse for animals in trouble. Rose, an El Hierro giant lizard in heavy make-up, works at The Bamboo Room, a greasy-spoon diner. Timmy is a Round Island day gecko selling newspapers in the lobby. Gloria is a Mexican grizzly who works the front desk. Sam, a long-nosed proboscis monkey, mans the elevator. Ernie is an Asian elephant who is the hotel driver on a bicycle rickshaw. The Watering Hole is the lounge where Stretch, an orangutan, is the bartender. Daisy Condor is a California condor who sings. And has a history with Jake.
The Professor, a.k.a., Harry, is an hispid hare, a rare bunny from the Himalayas, who tracks down endangered artifacts for the hotel.
Mr. G, the resident tough guy, is a mountain gorilla who has chimps doin’ his dirty work. Knuckles is a Siamese crocodile. Smith is a "wild African dog". Turns out his name is short for Locksmith. The Colonel, Alfred, is an old dodo. Margaret had been his wife.
Tortoise Air is…
…the local airline run by Tex, an old Galapagos tortoise. He’s also the pilot. Careful of those landings though, lol.
The Critter Bazaar
Madame Baloni, a wild yak, is a fortune teller. Raoul is a one-eyed cave salamander with information. Bedouin Joe, a large Bimini boa, has a curio shop. The shrew is his much-abused underling. Hump is a Bactrian camel who’ll act as a guide; he’ll sell out anybody. Crutch is an ostrich who is true to his species.
The Midnight Oasis is a bar.
The Poachers
Karl is the leader of a gang of Norwegian rats. Vilhelm is his second-in-command, Lars is the muscle, and Hans and Olaf are fodder. Roy is the undercover bloodhound.
Doc is a greater bilby. Lou is a punch-drunk Tibetan snowcock. Stan, the resident wisecracker, is a pygmy hog who was once part of a comedy duo with Livingston.
The Endangered Underground is…
…the wildlife resistance, “a ragtag band of critters fighting back against the human intruders, liberating the oppressed, and taking back their homes” led by Diego “the Desert Rascal” who is a Mexican prairie dog while Lieutenant Nina is a Tehuantepec jackrabbit.
The Creature Comfort Express is…
…a train.
Extinction City is…
…a boomtown gone bust, as the animals who had lived there were the last of their kind.
The Cover and Title
The cover somehow combines sinister with funny and a definite sense of noir with its textured bright green background surrounded with black, from the band across the top with the series information in white to the looming shadow of the dodo filling most of the background to the left of the yellow-bordered circle inset of a panda with…something in his mouth. I wanna say pipe, ‘cause Jake here makes me think of Sherlock Holmes There’s more black at the base of the cover, radiating into the green. The author’s name is in a bright yellow (as is the genre info at the bottom) while the title is in a bright red at the bottom left slanted upwards from left to right.
The title is too accurate, for it is indeed The Case of the Cursed Dodo.
I received a copy from the author.
My Take
This is way too funny. I enjoyed Panda’s take on this book as a movie, and he’s filled it with all sorts of punny bits such as “Wildlife’s Last Resort”. Yep, he’s taking on those old clichés and making them work *more laughter*
Oh, lord, imagining Jake showing the Professor’s picture around the bazaar was another crack-up. I did like that lunkhead joke. As for that typewriter… It never stood a chance.
I did have a few quibbles. It was difficult to figure out Panda's location (world-wise) when he was out on the trail. And I didn't know there was a train to Marrakech nor all that greenery around the resort area. I'd also like to know why the hotel needs artifacts??
The obligatory whine over, as you read, you’ll hear the voice of those 1940s noir mysteries. I can almost hear Humphrey Bogart speaking! Okay, okay, so it's Jake's perspective using a first-person protagonist point-of-view, but I could swear it was Bogart! The action is still as noir-ish as you’d like, although it does include a deus ex machina with that last-minute, sad save at the end.
Panda does rescue the very end with all that new help at the hotel. I gotta read the next installment, if only to see how the staff works out, lol.
And if the kids want some interactive fun with Jake, check out Jake Panda's Resources page with its links to fun activities — get your own PI license, create a radio show, interview your own suspects... — and the real — xx — World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Kids, Discovery Kids, and more.
The Story
If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way.
Only. I didn't plan on a wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals.
The Characters
Jake G. Panda is a hardboiled detective, a panda in a tie who could substitute for Sam Spade. Eddie, a woolly mountain tapir, likes his bow ties and is Jake’s associate.
The Last Resort is…
…a flophouse for animals in trouble. Rose, an El Hierro giant lizard in heavy make-up, works at The Bamboo Room, a greasy-spoon diner. Timmy is a Round Island day gecko selling newspapers in the lobby. Gloria is a Mexican grizzly who works the front desk. Sam, a long-nosed proboscis monkey, mans the elevator. Ernie is an Asian elephant who is the hotel driver on a bicycle rickshaw. The Watering Hole is the lounge where Stretch, an orangutan, is the bartender. Daisy Condor is a California condor who sings. And has a history with Jake.
The Professor, a.k.a., Harry, is an hispid hare, a rare bunny from the Himalayas, who tracks down endangered artifacts for the hotel.
Mr. G, the resident tough guy, is a mountain gorilla who has chimps doin’ his dirty work. Knuckles is a Siamese crocodile. Smith is a "wild African dog". Turns out his name is short for Locksmith. The Colonel, Alfred, is an old dodo. Margaret had been his wife.
Tortoise Air is…
…the local airline run by Tex, an old Galapagos tortoise. He’s also the pilot. Careful of those landings though, lol.
The Critter Bazaar
Madame Baloni, a wild yak, is a fortune teller. Raoul is a one-eyed cave salamander with information. Bedouin Joe, a large Bimini boa, has a curio shop. The shrew is his much-abused underling. Hump is a Bactrian camel who’ll act as a guide; he’ll sell out anybody. Crutch is an ostrich who is true to his species.
The Midnight Oasis is a bar.
The Poachers
Karl is the leader of a gang of Norwegian rats. Vilhelm is his second-in-command, Lars is the muscle, and Hans and Olaf are fodder. Roy is the undercover bloodhound.
Doc is a greater bilby. Lou is a punch-drunk Tibetan snowcock. Stan, the resident wisecracker, is a pygmy hog who was once part of a comedy duo with Livingston.
The Endangered Underground is…
…the wildlife resistance, “a ragtag band of critters fighting back against the human intruders, liberating the oppressed, and taking back their homes” led by Diego “the Desert Rascal” who is a Mexican prairie dog while Lieutenant Nina is a Tehuantepec jackrabbit.
The Creature Comfort Express is…
…a train.
Extinction City is…
…a boomtown gone bust, as the animals who had lived there were the last of their kind.
The Cover and Title
The cover somehow combines sinister with funny and a definite sense of noir with its textured bright green background surrounded with black, from the band across the top with the series information in white to the looming shadow of the dodo filling most of the background to the left of the yellow-bordered circle inset of a panda with…something in his mouth. I wanna say pipe, ‘cause Jake here makes me think of Sherlock Holmes There’s more black at the base of the cover, radiating into the green. The author’s name is in a bright yellow (as is the genre info at the bottom) while the title is in a bright red at the bottom left slanted upwards from left to right.
The title is too accurate, for it is indeed The Case of the Cursed Dodo.
December 16, 2017
I’ve been listening to audio books for two years now and yet this is the first time I've experienced a book like The Case of the Cursed Dodo. This book is a full production with multiple voice actors, sound effects and background score. It was like listening to a movie, and in my mind I could see it all in vivid technicolour.
A mystery thriller, The Case of the Cursed Dodo starts off with Jake G Panda, the in-house detective at 'Wildlife’s Last Resort' receiving a call that gets cut-off mid-conversation. He sets out to find his friend, the Professor, who has disappeared. Along the way he gets kidnapped by poachers, rescued by the Endangered Underground and finds a mysterious Jade bird. Now he must solve the mystery of the bird before it’s too late.
First Impressions
It was the title and cover that caught my eye first when I came across The Case of the Cursed Dodo. It was just so like those Famous Five, Three Investigators, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books I’ve read ages ago. The cliche was comforting. The blurb closed the deal as I wanted a simple easy listen. And it was a simple easy listen, just not how I had expected it.
The Case of the Cursed Dodo as an audio book is an experience that will enthral. The production makes it a different thing altogether, it’s no longer a simple children’s mystery with a whole lot of varied endangered animals.
Plot, Setting, Characters
The story begins at the Wildlife’s Last Resort, a flophouse for animals in trouble and quickly becomes a globe-trotting adventure, involving flying to Marrakech by Tortoise Air, searching The Critter Bazaar, escaping by The Creature Comfort Express and landing up in Extinction City.
This may be a children’s book but the play of words will be absolutely enjoyable for adults. I laughed many a time at the puns and old clichés. Have you spotted some of them? It was way too funny.
There is a whole forest of anthropomorphized animals as characters in the story. Here are a few - Jake G. Panda a panda, The Professor a.k.a. Harry a hispid hare, Rose an El Hierro giant lizard, Ernie an Asian elephant, Daisy Condor a California condor, Madame Baloni a wild yak, and Bedouin Joe a large Bimini boa among others.
I enjoyed getting to know the whole bunch of animals, each with their own quirks of dress, makeup and mannerisms. They add so much to the story.
Note for Kids
If you have kids this a great book to introduce them to a plethora of animals. There is also a Resources Section with links to fun activities and animal organisations.
Audio Book Experience
Like I was saying earlier The Case of the Cursed Dodo as an audio book is an experience to be had. Each character has his or her own voice actor, the narration is excellent with each chapter starting out with a recap and scene setting, and the story progressing with sound effects and a background score. The language is simple and easy. The story has a good pace and an unexpected climax, there’s loads of action too!
I absolutely enjoyed The Case of the Cursed Dodo and heartily vouch for it. This is a book for kids for sure (I lent it to a 10 year old and she sat still for almost the whole book!). But it’s also for adults who enjoy verbal humour and word-play. :)
A mystery thriller, The Case of the Cursed Dodo starts off with Jake G Panda, the in-house detective at 'Wildlife’s Last Resort' receiving a call that gets cut-off mid-conversation. He sets out to find his friend, the Professor, who has disappeared. Along the way he gets kidnapped by poachers, rescued by the Endangered Underground and finds a mysterious Jade bird. Now he must solve the mystery of the bird before it’s too late.
First Impressions
It was the title and cover that caught my eye first when I came across The Case of the Cursed Dodo. It was just so like those Famous Five, Three Investigators, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books I’ve read ages ago. The cliche was comforting. The blurb closed the deal as I wanted a simple easy listen. And it was a simple easy listen, just not how I had expected it.
The Case of the Cursed Dodo as an audio book is an experience that will enthral. The production makes it a different thing altogether, it’s no longer a simple children’s mystery with a whole lot of varied endangered animals.
Plot, Setting, Characters
The story begins at the Wildlife’s Last Resort, a flophouse for animals in trouble and quickly becomes a globe-trotting adventure, involving flying to Marrakech by Tortoise Air, searching The Critter Bazaar, escaping by The Creature Comfort Express and landing up in Extinction City.
This may be a children’s book but the play of words will be absolutely enjoyable for adults. I laughed many a time at the puns and old clichés. Have you spotted some of them? It was way too funny.
There is a whole forest of anthropomorphized animals as characters in the story. Here are a few - Jake G. Panda a panda, The Professor a.k.a. Harry a hispid hare, Rose an El Hierro giant lizard, Ernie an Asian elephant, Daisy Condor a California condor, Madame Baloni a wild yak, and Bedouin Joe a large Bimini boa among others.
I enjoyed getting to know the whole bunch of animals, each with their own quirks of dress, makeup and mannerisms. They add so much to the story.
Note for Kids
If you have kids this a great book to introduce them to a plethora of animals. There is also a Resources Section with links to fun activities and animal organisations.
Audio Book Experience
Like I was saying earlier The Case of the Cursed Dodo as an audio book is an experience to be had. Each character has his or her own voice actor, the narration is excellent with each chapter starting out with a recap and scene setting, and the story progressing with sound effects and a background score. The language is simple and easy. The story has a good pace and an unexpected climax, there’s loads of action too!
I absolutely enjoyed The Case of the Cursed Dodo and heartily vouch for it. This is a book for kids for sure (I lent it to a 10 year old and she sat still for almost the whole book!). But it’s also for adults who enjoy verbal humour and word-play. :)
November 8, 2017
Cute, cuddly, & educational - The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda This was so cute! It’s got some detective noir feel to it with the period phrases but none of the real violence since this is for kids. There’s humor all over the place; you can’t help tripping over it. As a biologist, I loved seeing all the endangered animals, like the macaroni penguin, tucked into the story.
Jake Panda was a fun detective, trying to be all tough and grumpy and yet sweet talking his bamboo plant. I kept picturing him in a hat and trench coat even though he doesn’t wear a hat. While working at the Last Resort hotel as the house detective, he gets a postcard from his friend The Professor, a hare (not a rabbit!), seeking his aid. He runs off to do so and gets tangled up in this nefarious underground animal ring. Jake Panda won’t stand for that! Yay! Even though this is for kids, the mystery was still fun to watch unravel.
The story sometimes included stuff like ‘and we fade in to whoever doing whatever’, etc. This seemed a little odd at first but I soon got used to the stage directions being there. I really liked that the tale took place in more than one place around the world and yet more places were mentioned. In fact, this whole story is full of little learning moments – the various types of animals, locations around the world, small interesting bits about the animals themselves. I think this is great for kids interested in biology or science in general.
There’s really only 1 main female character, Daisy Condor, and she comes into the tale half way through. She’s a romantic interest and while she gets to take part in the grand finale, I felt that this story needed some gender balancing. There were a handful of ladies briefly mentioned but all with small tiny roles. Meanwhile, we have The Professor, the Dodo, the guy who double crosses Jake, etc. How are all these endangered animals going to reproduce if there’s no ladies?
All told, it was a delightful tale and fit fora family road trip with young kids. 4/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: So many awesome narrators came together to make this story alive! All the character voices were distinct and I loved that the voice actors made each voice sound a little like the animal they are portraying. There was a snorting hog, a laughing hyena, and Jake Panda often had a little growl to his voice. There were plenty of sound effects and they added to the story, though there was once or twice when the sounds over-shadowed the voices for a moment or three. 4.5/5 stars.
Jake Panda was a fun detective, trying to be all tough and grumpy and yet sweet talking his bamboo plant. I kept picturing him in a hat and trench coat even though he doesn’t wear a hat. While working at the Last Resort hotel as the house detective, he gets a postcard from his friend The Professor, a hare (not a rabbit!), seeking his aid. He runs off to do so and gets tangled up in this nefarious underground animal ring. Jake Panda won’t stand for that! Yay! Even though this is for kids, the mystery was still fun to watch unravel.
The story sometimes included stuff like ‘and we fade in to whoever doing whatever’, etc. This seemed a little odd at first but I soon got used to the stage directions being there. I really liked that the tale took place in more than one place around the world and yet more places were mentioned. In fact, this whole story is full of little learning moments – the various types of animals, locations around the world, small interesting bits about the animals themselves. I think this is great for kids interested in biology or science in general.
There’s really only 1 main female character, Daisy Condor, and she comes into the tale half way through. She’s a romantic interest and while she gets to take part in the grand finale, I felt that this story needed some gender balancing. There were a handful of ladies briefly mentioned but all with small tiny roles. Meanwhile, we have The Professor, the Dodo, the guy who double crosses Jake, etc. How are all these endangered animals going to reproduce if there’s no ladies?
All told, it was a delightful tale and fit fora family road trip with young kids. 4/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: So many awesome narrators came together to make this story alive! All the character voices were distinct and I loved that the voice actors made each voice sound a little like the animal they are portraying. There was a snorting hog, a laughing hyena, and Jake Panda often had a little growl to his voice. There were plenty of sound effects and they added to the story, though there was once or twice when the sounds over-shadowed the voices for a moment or three. 4.5/5 stars.
November 7, 2017
This was so cute! It’s got some detective noir feel to it with the period phrases but none of the real violence since this is for kids. There’s humor all over the place; you can’t help tripping over it. As a biologist, I loved seeing all the endangered animals, like the macaroni penguin, tucked into the story.
Jake Panda was a fun detective, trying to be all tough and grumpy and yet sweet talking his bamboo plant. I kept picturing him in a hat and trench coat even though he doesn’t wear a hat. While working at the Last Resort hotel as the house detective, he gets a postcard from his friend The Professor, a hare (not a rabbit!), seeking his aid. He runs off to do so and gets tangled up in this nefarious underground animal ring. Jake Panda won’t stand for that! Yay! Even though this is for kids, the mystery was still fun to watch unravel.
The story sometimes included stuff like ‘and we fade in to whoever doing whatever’, etc. This seemed a little odd at first but I soon got used to the stage directions being there. I really liked that the tale took place in more than one place around the world and yet more places were mentioned. In fact, this whole story is full of little learning moments – the various types of animals, locations around the world, small interesting bits about the animals themselves. I think this is great for kids interested in biology or science in general.
There’s really only 1 main female character, Daisy Condor, and she comes into the tale half way through. She’s a romantic interest and while she gets to take part in the grand finale, I felt that this story needed some gender balancing. There were a handful of ladies briefly mentioned but all with small tiny roles. Meanwhile, we have The Professor, the Dodo, the guy who double crosses Jake, etc. How are all these endangered animals going to reproduce if there’s no ladies?
All told, it was a delightful tale and fit fora family road trip with young kids. 4/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: So many awesome narrators came together to make this story alive! All the character voices were distinct and I loved that the voice actors made each voice sound a little like the animal they are portraying. There was a snorting hog, a laughing hyena, and Jake Panda often had a little growl to his voice. There were plenty of sound effects and they added to the story, though there was once or twice when the sounds over-shadowed the voices for a moment or three. 4.5/5 stars.
Jake Panda was a fun detective, trying to be all tough and grumpy and yet sweet talking his bamboo plant. I kept picturing him in a hat and trench coat even though he doesn’t wear a hat. While working at the Last Resort hotel as the house detective, he gets a postcard from his friend The Professor, a hare (not a rabbit!), seeking his aid. He runs off to do so and gets tangled up in this nefarious underground animal ring. Jake Panda won’t stand for that! Yay! Even though this is for kids, the mystery was still fun to watch unravel.
The story sometimes included stuff like ‘and we fade in to whoever doing whatever’, etc. This seemed a little odd at first but I soon got used to the stage directions being there. I really liked that the tale took place in more than one place around the world and yet more places were mentioned. In fact, this whole story is full of little learning moments – the various types of animals, locations around the world, small interesting bits about the animals themselves. I think this is great for kids interested in biology or science in general.
There’s really only 1 main female character, Daisy Condor, and she comes into the tale half way through. She’s a romantic interest and while she gets to take part in the grand finale, I felt that this story needed some gender balancing. There were a handful of ladies briefly mentioned but all with small tiny roles. Meanwhile, we have The Professor, the Dodo, the guy who double crosses Jake, etc. How are all these endangered animals going to reproduce if there’s no ladies?
All told, it was a delightful tale and fit fora family road trip with young kids. 4/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: So many awesome narrators came together to make this story alive! All the character voices were distinct and I loved that the voice actors made each voice sound a little like the animal they are portraying. There was a snorting hog, a laughing hyena, and Jake Panda often had a little growl to his voice. There were plenty of sound effects and they added to the story, though there was once or twice when the sounds over-shadowed the voices for a moment or three. 4.5/5 stars.
December 12, 2017
If you could sum up The Case of the Cursed Dodo in three words, what would they be?
Surprising, Fun, Animals
Who was your favorite character and why?
I can't say that I have one favorite character with this one. All of them are needed in order to have this great story come together. They all make the scenes flow from one to another.
Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Sadly I have not listened to any of them before. But this is an ensemble of great voice actors. They have brought this story to life and immediately had me think of the old radio shows. What a great way to turn off the television and sit back and listen to this group of people perform. Can you imagine if families gathered around said radio to hear what lesson they are trying to get across? This ensemble left me craving more of them and more of this series.
Any additional comments?
There were some jokes that younger ones may have a hard time understanding. But adults not so much. This was one reason that I found this to be a great book to sit and listen to as a family. It has something for everyone. There is a serious lesson here but most children won't understand or would stop listening. But making this like a movie without pictures and using animals is what makes it fun for children.
I don't listen to NPR but I could see having a children's hour and have Jake G. Panda as our host. I never really watched the movie Casablanca but the time period would match perfectly with this story. This is one way you get something for the children and something for the adults. It's a great way for families to connect and learn together. Because of the message it takes all of us so why shouldn't we all listen to it. After listening to the book, I don't think I could go back and read it because I don't think the message would have as much punch. I'm just a big kid at heart so I would enjoy listening to more of Mr. Panda's work.
I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.
Surprising, Fun, Animals
Who was your favorite character and why?
I can't say that I have one favorite character with this one. All of them are needed in order to have this great story come together. They all make the scenes flow from one to another.
Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Sadly I have not listened to any of them before. But this is an ensemble of great voice actors. They have brought this story to life and immediately had me think of the old radio shows. What a great way to turn off the television and sit back and listen to this group of people perform. Can you imagine if families gathered around said radio to hear what lesson they are trying to get across? This ensemble left me craving more of them and more of this series.
Any additional comments?
There were some jokes that younger ones may have a hard time understanding. But adults not so much. This was one reason that I found this to be a great book to sit and listen to as a family. It has something for everyone. There is a serious lesson here but most children won't understand or would stop listening. But making this like a movie without pictures and using animals is what makes it fun for children.
I don't listen to NPR but I could see having a children's hour and have Jake G. Panda as our host. I never really watched the movie Casablanca but the time period would match perfectly with this story. This is one way you get something for the children and something for the adults. It's a great way for families to connect and learn together. Because of the message it takes all of us so why shouldn't we all listen to it. After listening to the book, I don't think I could go back and read it because I don't think the message would have as much punch. I'm just a big kid at heart so I would enjoy listening to more of Mr. Panda's work.
I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.
December 17, 2017
*Be sure to check out my blog post for this book, featuring an audio excerpt!
Fifties style drama, with endangered animals as the cast. Epic.
Zootopia meets Film-Noir, as we follow a tough detective, who happens to be a panda bear. As he searches for his hare-napped friend, he stumbles into a poaching scandal, and has to get him and his friends to safety, before he ends up someone's bear-skin rug. Filled with puns and inside jokes you can't miss, this story holds an old-time kind of comedy, thrown in with the drama of a mystery adventure.
I couldn't help but picture this as an old black and white film, giving the entire story a fabulous sense of character. The characters are straight out of a classic, with the only difference being they are all animals, each one fitting the personality and role given. I found the casting to be quite clever and creative on the author's part, and can imagine how much fun this was to write.
The audiobook edition was outstanding, with a full cast of characters to bring this adventure to life. Paired with fantastic descriptions and details, the listening experience was fantastic, and comparable to a film production. I would say this production company should be a go-to option for any author looking into creating an audiobook edition of their work, because the quality is impressive.
I would recommend this book to anyone, of any age. If you enjoy being entertained, this story won't disappoint.
*I was given a complimentary audiobook edition of this book, from the author, to listen to in exchange for an honest review.
~Rose
@Desert Rose Reviews
Fifties style drama, with endangered animals as the cast. Epic.
Zootopia meets Film-Noir, as we follow a tough detective, who happens to be a panda bear. As he searches for his hare-napped friend, he stumbles into a poaching scandal, and has to get him and his friends to safety, before he ends up someone's bear-skin rug. Filled with puns and inside jokes you can't miss, this story holds an old-time kind of comedy, thrown in with the drama of a mystery adventure.
I couldn't help but picture this as an old black and white film, giving the entire story a fabulous sense of character. The characters are straight out of a classic, with the only difference being they are all animals, each one fitting the personality and role given. I found the casting to be quite clever and creative on the author's part, and can imagine how much fun this was to write.
The audiobook edition was outstanding, with a full cast of characters to bring this adventure to life. Paired with fantastic descriptions and details, the listening experience was fantastic, and comparable to a film production. I would say this production company should be a go-to option for any author looking into creating an audiobook edition of their work, because the quality is impressive.
I would recommend this book to anyone, of any age. If you enjoy being entertained, this story won't disappoint.
*I was given a complimentary audiobook edition of this book, from the author, to listen to in exchange for an honest review.
~Rose
@Desert Rose Reviews
October 31, 2017
This is a fun story of animals – good for children and adults! My rating 4.25.
Jake G. Panda is a bold wildlife investigator. He cares about the people/critters he lives with at the Last Resort, a hotel where endangered species gather. Jake is quick to set out to investigate when one of the hotel guests calls in while on exploration and the call is cut off.
Jake races off to foreign lands to rescue the Professor, a rare Hispid hare. Jake soon finds himself and a few friends tricked and captured. A small thing like a cage won’t stop Jake and his cohorts. As they chase down a suitcase with a rare green dodo, Jake comes across old friends, including a very special one from his past.
Other employees at the Last Resort include Rose, an El Hierro giant lizard, Gloria, a Mexican grizzly who works the front desk, and Timmy a Round Island day gecko selling newspapers in the lobby.
The enemy critters include a wild yak, a one-eyed cave salamander, a large slithery, Bimini boa, with his much-abused assistant, the shrew. They are countered by the Endangered Underground. This wildlife resistance who fight against the human intruders, are led by the legendary Diego “the Desert Rascal”, a Mexican prairie dog and Lieutenant Nina, a Tehuantepec jackrabbit.
This is a fun, quick tale that describes endangered species. Jake and critter friends run through several dangerous situations and share some lessons along the way. The presentation of the story is unusual as it is set up like a screen play with ‘fade in’ and ‘fade out’ scenes. Although I found this to be fun, I am not sure how children would follow the scene changes. Also, the detective tone has a noir atmosphere and some of the fun irony will be lost on children. I liked the characters, sass and mystery. I note that the kindle version has images that might be more engaging for children. However, as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed the audio.
Audio Notes: The audio book has a cast of narrators who bring the various characters to life. I found myself smiling and chuckling through the listen. I am glad I had the opportunity to enjoy this.
I received this from the author.
Jake G. Panda is a bold wildlife investigator. He cares about the people/critters he lives with at the Last Resort, a hotel where endangered species gather. Jake is quick to set out to investigate when one of the hotel guests calls in while on exploration and the call is cut off.
Jake races off to foreign lands to rescue the Professor, a rare Hispid hare. Jake soon finds himself and a few friends tricked and captured. A small thing like a cage won’t stop Jake and his cohorts. As they chase down a suitcase with a rare green dodo, Jake comes across old friends, including a very special one from his past.
Other employees at the Last Resort include Rose, an El Hierro giant lizard, Gloria, a Mexican grizzly who works the front desk, and Timmy a Round Island day gecko selling newspapers in the lobby.
The enemy critters include a wild yak, a one-eyed cave salamander, a large slithery, Bimini boa, with his much-abused assistant, the shrew. They are countered by the Endangered Underground. This wildlife resistance who fight against the human intruders, are led by the legendary Diego “the Desert Rascal”, a Mexican prairie dog and Lieutenant Nina, a Tehuantepec jackrabbit.
This is a fun, quick tale that describes endangered species. Jake and critter friends run through several dangerous situations and share some lessons along the way. The presentation of the story is unusual as it is set up like a screen play with ‘fade in’ and ‘fade out’ scenes. Although I found this to be fun, I am not sure how children would follow the scene changes. Also, the detective tone has a noir atmosphere and some of the fun irony will be lost on children. I liked the characters, sass and mystery. I note that the kindle version has images that might be more engaging for children. However, as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed the audio.
Audio Notes: The audio book has a cast of narrators who bring the various characters to life. I found myself smiling and chuckling through the listen. I am glad I had the opportunity to enjoy this.
I received this from the author.
April 5, 2018
What a great idea for how to format a children’s book!!! This audiobook was wonderfully entertaining. The jungle noir style was so unique for a book like this and I think kids who listen to it will enjoy it immensely. On top of the mystery there are also many different endangered species introduced along with some facts about each. This is also great for kids. At a few points there were a lot of characters bustling around at which could get overwhelming but I wouldn’t really say it took away from the story. Overall this was a really fun listen and I look forward to more adventures in the life of Jake G. Panda!
I would like to thank the author/narrator/publisher for generously providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I would like to thank the author/narrator/publisher for generously providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 12, 2017
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jake G. Panda. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
What a fun book to listen to! Jake Panda is a detective in the business of protecting endangered species. He may look like a cuddly panda, but he's more of a hardboiled detective, the animal version of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, or Mike Hammer.
This is a fun way to introduce young readers/listeners to endangered species as well a popular genre of fiction. Even though it's written more for children, adults may enjoy listening to it as well. The author is creative and has a unique sense of humor.
Listening to The Case of the Cursed Dodo is almost like listening to a movie. The one thing that wasn't necessary, though, was the recap of the previous chapter at the beginning of each chapter. The different voices and the sound effects make it fun to listen to and more exciting than many audiobooks.
What a fun book to listen to! Jake Panda is a detective in the business of protecting endangered species. He may look like a cuddly panda, but he's more of a hardboiled detective, the animal version of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, or Mike Hammer.
This is a fun way to introduce young readers/listeners to endangered species as well a popular genre of fiction. Even though it's written more for children, adults may enjoy listening to it as well. The author is creative and has a unique sense of humor.
Listening to The Case of the Cursed Dodo is almost like listening to a movie. The one thing that wasn't necessary, though, was the recap of the previous chapter at the beginning of each chapter. The different voices and the sound effects make it fun to listen to and more exciting than many audiobooks.
October 24, 2017
(Audiobook)
A dynamic treat! This audio included a full cast of performers, sound effects, and music. It was similar to listening to a play.
The characters were ... lolz characters within themselves! Very enjoyable and lively! Very upbeat and riddled with jokes and easy humour.
I absolutely LOVED it and am excited to share it with my infant granddaughters when they get older.
A deep and genuine thank you to the authors and narrators for providing me with this, at my request. It's a gift that will easily catapult me to title of the best grandmother (competition is fierce!)
I strongly recommend others to download and listen to this!
A dynamic treat! This audio included a full cast of performers, sound effects, and music. It was similar to listening to a play.
The characters were ... lolz characters within themselves! Very enjoyable and lively! Very upbeat and riddled with jokes and easy humour.
I absolutely LOVED it and am excited to share it with my infant granddaughters when they get older.
A deep and genuine thank you to the authors and narrators for providing me with this, at my request. It's a gift that will easily catapult me to title of the best grandmother (competition is fierce!)
I strongly recommend others to download and listen to this!
December 11, 2017
The Case of the Cursed Dodo is engaging from the get-go. The tone is set in the initial lines, where the narrator tells listeners that we are hearing the unfolding of a script of a long forgotten movie – of the jungle noir type, of course.
Kids and adults alike will love this action packed, hilarious story that feels like a Dick Tracy story, but with more cheesy jokes. Author Jake Panda enjoys his plays-on-words and literary devices – and this book is pure gold for an English teacher to use in the classroom. A few examples of potential lessons:
“Bedouin Joe, a Bimini boa, sits in a booth behind glass.”
“The place was jumping like a tree frog on a trampoline.”
A “dizzy grizzly” says, “Any time, Honey,” and in response, our hero says, “I wish she wouldn’t call me that. It makes me feel all sticky; if there’s one thing I aint, it’s sweet.”
And of course, there’s the guaranteed laugh with a poop reference:
“Jake pulls out his magnifying glass and examines a couple of round pellets on the ground. Jake recognizes the droppings. ‘Something must have scared the crap out of him.’”
This full cast narration is fabulous. The main narrator, Michael McConnohoie nails it with his timing and pacing and just the right dose of sarcasm. The numerous other voice actors carry off the accents and really bring life to critter characters of all shape, size, and color. A great addition is the well-placed sound effects that harken back to old time weekly radio serials. Older listeners will likely recognize some voices as nods to comedians and actors from back in the day, but kids will just laugh. It’s just a blast to listen to.
There are a lot of characters and a lot of action, so it’s super helpful that at the beginning of each chapter, there is a short recap of the prior chapter. At just two and a half hours running time, The Case of the Cursed Dodo is long enough to give listeners plenty of entertainment, but short enough that kids won’t lose interest.
I highly recommend this audio book and look forward to more adventures from Jake the Panda, his friends, and of course, the bad guys – er, the bad critters – that make his life interesting.
Thank you to Audiobookworm Promotions for the free download in exchange for my honest review – the only kind I give. This full review and more features on Hall Ways blog https://kristinehallways.blogspot.com...
Kids and adults alike will love this action packed, hilarious story that feels like a Dick Tracy story, but with more cheesy jokes. Author Jake Panda enjoys his plays-on-words and literary devices – and this book is pure gold for an English teacher to use in the classroom. A few examples of potential lessons:
“Bedouin Joe, a Bimini boa, sits in a booth behind glass.”
“The place was jumping like a tree frog on a trampoline.”
A “dizzy grizzly” says, “Any time, Honey,” and in response, our hero says, “I wish she wouldn’t call me that. It makes me feel all sticky; if there’s one thing I aint, it’s sweet.”
And of course, there’s the guaranteed laugh with a poop reference:
“Jake pulls out his magnifying glass and examines a couple of round pellets on the ground. Jake recognizes the droppings. ‘Something must have scared the crap out of him.’”
This full cast narration is fabulous. The main narrator, Michael McConnohoie nails it with his timing and pacing and just the right dose of sarcasm. The numerous other voice actors carry off the accents and really bring life to critter characters of all shape, size, and color. A great addition is the well-placed sound effects that harken back to old time weekly radio serials. Older listeners will likely recognize some voices as nods to comedians and actors from back in the day, but kids will just laugh. It’s just a blast to listen to.
There are a lot of characters and a lot of action, so it’s super helpful that at the beginning of each chapter, there is a short recap of the prior chapter. At just two and a half hours running time, The Case of the Cursed Dodo is long enough to give listeners plenty of entertainment, but short enough that kids won’t lose interest.
I highly recommend this audio book and look forward to more adventures from Jake the Panda, his friends, and of course, the bad guys – er, the bad critters – that make his life interesting.
Thank you to Audiobookworm Promotions for the free download in exchange for my honest review – the only kind I give. This full review and more features on Hall Ways blog https://kristinehallways.blogspot.com...
October 23, 2017
I listened to the full cast audio of The Case of the Cursed Dodo. I am not used to listening to books with more than one, or at most two, narrators, so it did take me a chapter or two to get into the groove of it. It was an interesting set-up though. The book is written in kind of a screen play style, so on audio it felt like you were listening to an old-style radio show, which was pretty neat.
I liked the characters, all endangered species, and the hotel that serves as the base of operations. Jake is a good semi-hard-boiled detective, gruff and tough, but also loyal. We’ve even got a dame, although condors are not really my idea of sexy birds. My one complaint is that there are a few too many bad guys, it got a bit confusing who was on which side and why. I also expected to learn a bit more about the various endangered species, other than just their names. The end was little weird too, but i’m pretty sure kids would just accept it.
Overall, it was a fun book to listen too. I so think some of the jokes and comments would go over the heads of middle schoolers, but since they’d enjoy the adventure, it might make it perfect for a family car trip.
I liked the characters, all endangered species, and the hotel that serves as the base of operations. Jake is a good semi-hard-boiled detective, gruff and tough, but also loyal. We’ve even got a dame, although condors are not really my idea of sexy birds. My one complaint is that there are a few too many bad guys, it got a bit confusing who was on which side and why. I also expected to learn a bit more about the various endangered species, other than just their names. The end was little weird too, but i’m pretty sure kids would just accept it.
Overall, it was a fun book to listen too. I so think some of the jokes and comments would go over the heads of middle schoolers, but since they’d enjoy the adventure, it might make it perfect for a family car trip.
October 9, 2017
Readers who are fans of film noir will have an enjoyable time following Jake G. Panda on his first publicized case. Jake is a hotel detective at Wildlife's Last Resort, which caters to endangered animals of all sorts. When his friend the Professor (a hispid hare), is kidnapped in the middle of a phone call to Jake, the furry detective sets out to find his missing friend and stumbles into a much bigger problem than he counted on. The case is packed with shady characters, double-crosses, underground operatives, mysterious clues, and knuckle-crunching action scenes. Jake's investigation leads him from the Last Resort, to a bazaar in Marrakesh, a poachers' camp, and even to Extinction City. Along the way he meets many other endangered animals - Siberian cranes, Mexican grizzly bears, Chinese alligators, and Himalayan tahrs - among others, and he also runs into a lady from his past.
Young readers will enjoy the tough gumshoe manner of Jake and the thrilling action scenes. Whether he is parachuting from an airplane, fighting on top of a moving train, or taking on poachers, there is plenty of opportunity for Jake to throw his weight around. Adults reading along with their children or students will laugh at the many cliches, puns, and the sly references to films like "Casa Blanca." The way the story is written as if it were a screen play adds to the feeling that one is watching an old black & white detective show. If you are a mystery fan, and don't mind if the detective is a furry bamboo-eater, you should give it a try. This would also make a great way to kick off a unit on endangered animals. Each student could choose one of the characters from the story and research what has caused each of the animals to be placed on the endangered species list.
Whether you are interested in endangered animals, enjoy detective stories, or like to close your eyes and listen to someone read - The Case of the Cursed Dodo fits the bill. In the audiobook adaptation, the story of Jake Panda's investigation into a friend's disappearance comes to vivid life with skilled voice actors, sound effects, and more. Each chapter is presented as if it were an episode in an old-time radio serial. That makes it perfect for listeners, because each chapter begins with a brief recap of the previous action, bringing everyone up to speed. Whether Jake is sloshing through underground tunnels, dropping from the sky, or slugging it out on top of a moving train, there are plenty of thrills and excitement to keep listeners tuned in. There is also plenty of humor, cliffhangers, and a bit of romance. Jake's hard-boiled detective persona is perfect for this type of presentation. Readers and listeners will want to know when the next adventure will be broadcast. With nods to classic stories like "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casa Blanca," and as much globetrotting as an Indiana Jones movie, this case file is an entertaining read or listen for all ages.
I received a copy from the author for review purposes.
Young readers will enjoy the tough gumshoe manner of Jake and the thrilling action scenes. Whether he is parachuting from an airplane, fighting on top of a moving train, or taking on poachers, there is plenty of opportunity for Jake to throw his weight around. Adults reading along with their children or students will laugh at the many cliches, puns, and the sly references to films like "Casa Blanca." The way the story is written as if it were a screen play adds to the feeling that one is watching an old black & white detective show. If you are a mystery fan, and don't mind if the detective is a furry bamboo-eater, you should give it a try. This would also make a great way to kick off a unit on endangered animals. Each student could choose one of the characters from the story and research what has caused each of the animals to be placed on the endangered species list.
Whether you are interested in endangered animals, enjoy detective stories, or like to close your eyes and listen to someone read - The Case of the Cursed Dodo fits the bill. In the audiobook adaptation, the story of Jake Panda's investigation into a friend's disappearance comes to vivid life with skilled voice actors, sound effects, and more. Each chapter is presented as if it were an episode in an old-time radio serial. That makes it perfect for listeners, because each chapter begins with a brief recap of the previous action, bringing everyone up to speed. Whether Jake is sloshing through underground tunnels, dropping from the sky, or slugging it out on top of a moving train, there are plenty of thrills and excitement to keep listeners tuned in. There is also plenty of humor, cliffhangers, and a bit of romance. Jake's hard-boiled detective persona is perfect for this type of presentation. Readers and listeners will want to know when the next adventure will be broadcast. With nods to classic stories like "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casa Blanca," and as much globetrotting as an Indiana Jones movie, this case file is an entertaining read or listen for all ages.
I received a copy from the author for review purposes.
December 28, 2014
A Very Clever Approach; Well Executed
There are a lot of appealing aspects to this book, but mostly it's just fun to find a book that adds a few new spins to the early middle grade adventure/mystery.
First off, the book is set up in a classic noir style. I like noir tributes. This book isn't a parody, (which I also find entertaining), and it plays straight with the form. There seem to be more and more variations on that theme coming out for middle graders. Some employ human middle school characters, but lots of them feature animal characters. You have the Chet Gecko series, and quite a few retired police dog noirs. Even though most kids aren't familiar with noir conventions and won't get some of the noir references, that style seems well suited to kids just because it usually involves clipped, direct narrative, a strong narrator, and if done properly a crisp well marked plotline.
Here, the author adds a few extra touches. The story circles around a hotel for nearly extinct and endangered animals. That's a nice touch, and while the particular animals represent obscure and rare sub-species, they all belong to recognizable groups, (lizards, hares, bears, and so on). So there's a lot of variety, some species name dropping, jokes based on animal characteristics kids would recognize, and a lot of detailed color and variety.
The author has also set the book up in the general form of a movie shooting script. The narrative voice-over is italicized. Scenes are described as camera movement set-ups. Sound effects and cues are included. That sounds unwieldy, but it actually works to keep the story focused, clear, and moving forward. Narration, scene-setting and dialogue are distinct and instead of being confusing would probably actually help a younger reader follow what's going on. It's almost like the shooting directions are subtly teaching the reader how to understand and visualize a story. (And there isn't so much of the movie script angle that it gets in the way or gets too fussy.)
The hero of the tale is a world-weary hotel detective, and he is toned down to a kid version of world weary. The plot makes sense and there is a bit of menace and some action that fits well into the overall tale. True to the noir conventions there are a lot of secondary characters and a lot of double-crosses. That is probably the most challenging aspect of the book - keeping everything straight as the action speeds up.)
The upshot is that this struck me as an interesting, entertaining story coupled with an ambitious and generally successful attempt to add a fresh angle to an early middle grade read. For an adventurous and confident reader this could be a nice book to try.
Please note that I downloaded this book as a kindleunlimited freebie. Apart from being alerted through Goodreads to the existence of this book by the author I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher.
There are a lot of appealing aspects to this book, but mostly it's just fun to find a book that adds a few new spins to the early middle grade adventure/mystery.
First off, the book is set up in a classic noir style. I like noir tributes. This book isn't a parody, (which I also find entertaining), and it plays straight with the form. There seem to be more and more variations on that theme coming out for middle graders. Some employ human middle school characters, but lots of them feature animal characters. You have the Chet Gecko series, and quite a few retired police dog noirs. Even though most kids aren't familiar with noir conventions and won't get some of the noir references, that style seems well suited to kids just because it usually involves clipped, direct narrative, a strong narrator, and if done properly a crisp well marked plotline.
Here, the author adds a few extra touches. The story circles around a hotel for nearly extinct and endangered animals. That's a nice touch, and while the particular animals represent obscure and rare sub-species, they all belong to recognizable groups, (lizards, hares, bears, and so on). So there's a lot of variety, some species name dropping, jokes based on animal characteristics kids would recognize, and a lot of detailed color and variety.
The author has also set the book up in the general form of a movie shooting script. The narrative voice-over is italicized. Scenes are described as camera movement set-ups. Sound effects and cues are included. That sounds unwieldy, but it actually works to keep the story focused, clear, and moving forward. Narration, scene-setting and dialogue are distinct and instead of being confusing would probably actually help a younger reader follow what's going on. It's almost like the shooting directions are subtly teaching the reader how to understand and visualize a story. (And there isn't so much of the movie script angle that it gets in the way or gets too fussy.)
The hero of the tale is a world-weary hotel detective, and he is toned down to a kid version of world weary. The plot makes sense and there is a bit of menace and some action that fits well into the overall tale. True to the noir conventions there are a lot of secondary characters and a lot of double-crosses. That is probably the most challenging aspect of the book - keeping everything straight as the action speeds up.)
The upshot is that this struck me as an interesting, entertaining story coupled with an ambitious and generally successful attempt to add a fresh angle to an early middle grade read. For an adventurous and confident reader this could be a nice book to try.
Please note that I downloaded this book as a kindleunlimited freebie. Apart from being alerted through Goodreads to the existence of this book by the author I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher.
January 16, 2015
Jake the Panda is the resident private eye for The Last Resort, a refuge for endangered animals. One day, Jake gets a call from his friend the Professor. The Professor claims he has found something very interesting in Morocco, but before he can say more the phone line goes dead. Jake quickly gets over to Morocco to find out what happened to the Professor and figure out what the Professor found. Jake has to evade poachers and several other parties who are very interested in the Professor’s find. So interested, they’ll follow Jake halfway around the world and stop at nothing to get their hands on it.
The Case of the Cursed Dodo is written with a classic gumshoo flavor, in the vein of black and white movies from the first half of the 20th century. Of course, this one stars a bunch of endangered animals instead of humans in trench coats. I liked the classic mystery feel, but kids may need a dictionary or adult nearby to explain some phrases and terms true to the period that are currently more obscure. The style of writing is unique in that it is made to resemble a screenplay of a movie. Now it isn't entirely screenplay-ish. It isn't written with character's names on the left before each line or anything, but there are sometimes notes like FADE IN or setting descriptions that don't quite read like a normal book. As the introduction warns you, it will take some time to get used to this. At first I wasn't sure if I cared for this unusual writing style as it feels like you're being told instead of shown what's happening half the time, but once I got used to it and had my brain trained to visualize the movie elements described, I found I liked the style. By the end of the book I definitely had the movie flowing through my imagination as directed by Mr. Panda. And this style definitely has the perk of being easily translated into a movie if anyone ever chooses to do so (which I might recommend to an animation company out there, I think kids would eat this stuff up). I liked the very diverse animal cast. In fact, it's probably the most diverse you're going to come across. It isn't often you stumble on a book that has a condor, a hispid hare, and a tapir among the cast of characters. This should encourage young readers to get to know more about some of these endangered and therefore uncommon critters. Overall, this is a good pick for middle grade readers who like mysteries and animals.
Notes on content: True to the period, one of the slang terms that appears for a hotel detective is hotel dick. No other language issues. No sexual content. Violence is sometimes threatened, but is rarely serious or life threatening. (Picture cartoon-style dangerous situations.)
**I received a free ARC of this from the author in exchange for my honest review.**
The Case of the Cursed Dodo is written with a classic gumshoo flavor, in the vein of black and white movies from the first half of the 20th century. Of course, this one stars a bunch of endangered animals instead of humans in trench coats. I liked the classic mystery feel, but kids may need a dictionary or adult nearby to explain some phrases and terms true to the period that are currently more obscure. The style of writing is unique in that it is made to resemble a screenplay of a movie. Now it isn't entirely screenplay-ish. It isn't written with character's names on the left before each line or anything, but there are sometimes notes like FADE IN or setting descriptions that don't quite read like a normal book. As the introduction warns you, it will take some time to get used to this. At first I wasn't sure if I cared for this unusual writing style as it feels like you're being told instead of shown what's happening half the time, but once I got used to it and had my brain trained to visualize the movie elements described, I found I liked the style. By the end of the book I definitely had the movie flowing through my imagination as directed by Mr. Panda. And this style definitely has the perk of being easily translated into a movie if anyone ever chooses to do so (which I might recommend to an animation company out there, I think kids would eat this stuff up). I liked the very diverse animal cast. In fact, it's probably the most diverse you're going to come across. It isn't often you stumble on a book that has a condor, a hispid hare, and a tapir among the cast of characters. This should encourage young readers to get to know more about some of these endangered and therefore uncommon critters. Overall, this is a good pick for middle grade readers who like mysteries and animals.
Notes on content: True to the period, one of the slang terms that appears for a hotel detective is hotel dick. No other language issues. No sexual content. Violence is sometimes threatened, but is rarely serious or life threatening. (Picture cartoon-style dangerous situations.)
**I received a free ARC of this from the author in exchange for my honest review.**
December 19, 2014
The Case of the Cursed Dodo is a rather unique read mixing the feel of an old mystery detective show with endangered animal rights activism. Jake the panda is a detective based in the Last Resort, a hotel for endangered animals. A phone call from a friend in trouble sets him on the path of both a kidnapping and an unsolved mystery.
The story is interesting and well-edited. The approach taken to tell the story is unique, more like watching a movie than reading a book. Everything is organized in scenes, with camera perspective shifts indicated in all caps. The narration lines are in italics, so you know when the narrator's voice over is happening. I tended to imagine a deep rumbly voice for these, as I believe they are told from Jake's perspective.
I also like that all of the characters are animals, though I thought some of them could use a bit more description. The focus is on endangered animals, and those are the nearly exclusive focus of the cast list. The downside is that some of them are rather obscure, so without description or illustration, they are hard to imagine. It seems at times almost like a catalog of the creatures.
The illustrations in the book are well done. I thought they were classy and fit the story. They have a sort of dreamlike feel, or perhaps a sense of being in an older era. I looked at them on both my tablet and my kindle (a regular cheap kindle) and they looked great on both.
The plot and the terminology meant to land us in the old detective setting from the black and white movie era, while interesting and entertaining, might not exactly make sense to children unless they happen to have watched movies from the genre that inspired this story. Personally, I think older folks would like this story the best. I was reminded of Dick Tracy and Warner Brothers cartoons that feature detectives. Still, I think children will enjoy the story for the animals and the action, all of which is kid friendly (to a degree). As always, I'd recommend that adults read the story ahead of time before giving it to their kids.
So, overall, I thought this was interesting and easy to read. The story, while meant to inspire nostalgia, will probably only do so for older readers. Younger readers will likely enjoy the animal characters and the illustrations. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy mysteries and sleuthing stories, classic movies about the same, and illustrated books. Those who also appreciate stories that raise their awareness about issues in non-preachy ways will find this story satisfying in that regard.
I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
The story is interesting and well-edited. The approach taken to tell the story is unique, more like watching a movie than reading a book. Everything is organized in scenes, with camera perspective shifts indicated in all caps. The narration lines are in italics, so you know when the narrator's voice over is happening. I tended to imagine a deep rumbly voice for these, as I believe they are told from Jake's perspective.
I also like that all of the characters are animals, though I thought some of them could use a bit more description. The focus is on endangered animals, and those are the nearly exclusive focus of the cast list. The downside is that some of them are rather obscure, so without description or illustration, they are hard to imagine. It seems at times almost like a catalog of the creatures.
The illustrations in the book are well done. I thought they were classy and fit the story. They have a sort of dreamlike feel, or perhaps a sense of being in an older era. I looked at them on both my tablet and my kindle (a regular cheap kindle) and they looked great on both.
The plot and the terminology meant to land us in the old detective setting from the black and white movie era, while interesting and entertaining, might not exactly make sense to children unless they happen to have watched movies from the genre that inspired this story. Personally, I think older folks would like this story the best. I was reminded of Dick Tracy and Warner Brothers cartoons that feature detectives. Still, I think children will enjoy the story for the animals and the action, all of which is kid friendly (to a degree). As always, I'd recommend that adults read the story ahead of time before giving it to their kids.
So, overall, I thought this was interesting and easy to read. The story, while meant to inspire nostalgia, will probably only do so for older readers. Younger readers will likely enjoy the animal characters and the illustrations. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy mysteries and sleuthing stories, classic movies about the same, and illustrated books. Those who also appreciate stories that raise their awareness about issues in non-preachy ways will find this story satisfying in that regard.
I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
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