Someone has nibbled the pepperoni off Grandma Thunderclaps' pizza! This seems like a case for Dino Detective and Awesome Possum, brother-sister PIs. Was it Nibbles McSqueak, the town thespian mouse, or Mrs. Sniffleton, the undercover lunch-lady-ninja-fairy? And can they crack the case before they get hungry and eat the evidence? This first in a series of early chapter books is a welcome addition to emerging reader collections. Bentley's warmly hued illustrations pull the story along, utilizing dramatic lighting with humorous nods to classic noir detective films. Readers will delight in following clues with the protagonist team, who are quirky, likable, and charmingly flawed. There is also an intellectually superior houseplant that is underutilized but will hopefully make stronger appearances in future books. A surprising treat of a whodunit.

Two young sleuths set out to identify a mysterious pepperoni thief in this series opener.The exciting prospect of a real case at last has violet T. rex Dino Detective rousting her marsupial sibling sidekick Awesome Possum out of bed and racing downstairs with potted Plant-silent partner but also occasional snide narrator-to track down the malefactor who has stripped Grandma Thunderclaps' homemade pizza of its tasty topping. Tantalizing distractions include a secret agent lunch lady fairy and overheard schemes being laid by mice in an array of disguises from clown to alien. Notwithstanding these, the dedicated gumshoes forge on in their investigation-until, frustratingly, every suspect is apparently ruled out by either logic or alibi. But in true whodunit fashion Bentley tucks in clues from the first page on…which Dino at last puts together to catch the culprit red (sauce) handed. Carping pizza purists may object that the victimized "Sicilian" looks more round than rectangular in some views, but the cartoon images of suspect dossiers and multispecies cast members reflect the tale's surreal character and manic pacing nicely. They share space with the well-leaded text on nearly every page. Grandma and the lunch lady, the only figures with human faces, present White.A generous slice of wacky, with savory bits of good detective work melted in. (Mystery. 7-10)