Agent Moose

August 31, 2020
“The name is Moose, Anonymoose.” Styled after James Bond (complete with a taste for chocolate milk “shaken, not stirred”), Special Agent Anonymoose charms as the charismatic, clueless star in this playfully suspenseful spy story, the first in a planned graphic novel chapter book series by O’Hara and Bradley. Along with his cautious, analytical sidekick, Owlfred, Anonymoose attempts to solve his 100th case: a turtle-napping. Terrance Turtle, a witness in a case previously solved by rival agent Camo Chameleon, has gone missing. The pacing is brisk as the bumbling duo questions suspects and dons wacky disguises; paneled cartoons abound with actions, captions, and onomatopoeic sound effects. Mixing a hint of danger with a lot of humor, O’Hara and Bradley create a winsome forest-animal spin on traditional espionage tales. Ages 6–9.

June 26, 2020

Gr 1-4-Agent Moose and his smart sidekick Owlfred are two of the best investigators in the Big Woods. Agent Moose has cracked 99 cases and is itching to make it an even 100-if only the disappearance of the moon was an actual case rather than a predictable natural phenomenon. His rival agent Camo Chameleon has beat him to the 100-case mark. Or has he? And what does the disappearance of Terrance Turtle have to do with it all? Bright colors and clear character drawings make this graphic novel as easy to follow as it is fun to read. Agent Moose and Owlfred are masters of disguise but always identifiable to readers-if not to the other characters. Refreshingly, physical characteristics such as sharp teeth do not code characters as good guys or bad guys-beauty or furriness doesn't correspond to virtue. Running jokes, wordplay, and alliteration add spark, and emotional responses such as suspicion, timidity, and resentment are conveyed through a combination of art, dialogue, and narration, adding nuance to this silly whodunit. VERDICT This animal investigator fits right in with Tom Angleberger's "Inspector Flytrap" and Doreen Cronin's "Chicken Squad" series.-Paula Willey, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore

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