Belly Up is a middle-grade novel written by the American author Stuart Gibbs and was published in 2010. The novel is the first book from the FunJungle series involving an exotic animal zoo and a 12-year-old protagonist named Theodore (Teddy) Fitzroy. Akin to the follow-up novels the book entails a mystery that the protagonist and his friends try to solve to protect the animals in the FunJungle zoo.
The story follows Teddy and his friend Summer as they uncover the truth about the death of Henry – a hippopotamus at the zoo. They believe it was murdered, contrary to the claim that the hippo died from natural causes. The two dive deep into the mystery narrowing down the suspects as they crack their first case at the animal park.
The novel is the first book by the author that initiated the FunJungle series and also the subsequent series such as Spy School and the Last Musketeer. Kirkus Reviews wrote, “Overall, the story is great fun, despite a sometimes plodding approach to the narrative that is too reminiscent of a report. In his authorial debut, screenwriter Gibbs combines details of the inner workings of zoos with some over-the-top action for an entertaining read”.
