Review Detail

An exciting mystery-adventure awaits in this new installment of the Zoo Patrol Squad! A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN by Brett Bean is the third adventure of the Zoo Patrol Squad and sees Fennlock Fox and Penny the Pig abandoning their vacation for the Wild West. Nugget, an overly chatty chicken, begs for their help in saving his town from the Glaring Gang, a group of feral cats. On arriving, they find the sheriff missing, no townsfolk, and Penny's former friend in the thick of the gang. Will they be able to save Harmony Plains from "cat"-tastrophe?

I really enjoyed this one. There is a lot to love about it. Penny the Pig is from Harmony Plains. When she left, her best friend Calamity was angry with her and told her to never return. Penny is breaking that promise now in the hopes of saving her hometown. However she is scared to face Calamity. Has her friend forgiven her or is she still angry?

I love the play on the Wild West. The author takes a few liberties with the Glaring Gang, and we get quite a few well-known Wild West outlaws making their debuts as cats. The overall mystery with the townsfolk disappearing and the missing sheriff add to the adventure. Fennlock and Penny have to evade the gang, find the sheriff, and somehow save the town. Lots of giggles are sure to be heard as they navigate their way through peril and hardships.

As this is a children's graphic novel, I cannot end this review without talking about the illustrations and paneling. It is very well done for early readers. The pictures tell as much of the story as the words do. The dialogue is color coded to match Penny and Fennlock so it is easy to tell who is talking and when. The font is large and bold enough to be easy to read on the colorful panels.

Overall, A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN makes for a fun adventure, full of twists and turns that readers won't see coming.