Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Stuart Gibbs

Reviewed by Vihaan

“Someone stole my tyrannosaur,” Sage says to Teddy, his eyes red with tears. “Can you find it?” Teddy, the protagonist, agrees to take up the challenge. However, will he be able to defy all odds and find his friend’s dinosaur before it is too late?

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Stuart Gibbs is a mystery book based in southern Texas. The main character of the story is Teddy Fitzroy, a young boy who is an incredible detective. He lives in FunJungle, the biggest amusement park in America. One day, his friend Sage reveals that he had discovered a tyrannosaurus on his family ranch. However, it has been stolen, and he asked for Teddy’s help. Now Teddy has solved many mysteries before, but this one will put his skills to the test. Will he find the bandit? 

One of the reasons I liked this book is because it is written in a cheerful, easy to understand way. Even in the scenes with thieves, it isn’t scary. And it is also easy to read, without many hard words or confusing language. In this book, there is a scene where Teddy is running away from robbers and finds clues on the way. Instead of making it sound scary, the author added some jokes, like funny insults between the characters. In doing all of this, the author made the book fun to read.

I also liked the plot twists. Often what seems true, or at least obvious, at the beginning of the book ends up completely wrong. What makes it even more interesting is that the clues often lead back to characters we knew in the first place. My favorite part of the novel is when Teddy proves the police wrong. The police were convinced they were right and didn't investigate, but Teddy shows their conjecture was far from the truth.

I would rank this book a 9/10. It is one of my favorite books, but I would still like it if the mystery were a bit more complicated. I think this is best for 4th-7th graders who like comedies and mysteries. This book is the sixth book in the FunJungle series. I hope you enjoyed my book review, and remember to check out Tyrannosaurus Wrecks from your library!

Simon and Schuster Books, 368 pages