Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots

by Liam O'Donnell, Mike Deas (Illustrator)

Overview

For monster sleuths Tank and Fizz, proving fourth-grade bully Rizzo Rawlins is planning to cheat in the upcoming Battle Bot Cup should be a piece of cake. But cake crumbles fast, and the case soon leads the detectives to a mysterious hacker known only as the Codex, who threatens all of Rockfall Mountain with a very dark fate. With the help of their wizard-in-training partner, Aleetha, Tank and Fizz leap into action, dodging deadly battle bots and sinister spellbooks in a race to stop the return of a very angry ancient demon.

Fans of the first book, Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede, will blow their circuits with this gadget- and magic-filled robot mystery. For more information about the series, visit www.tankandfizz.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459808133
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Series:	Tank & Fizz , #2
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Liam O'Donnell is an author and educator who has created over forty books and graphic novels for young readers, including the Max Finder Mystery, Graphic Guide Adventure and West Meadows Detectives series. He was born in Northern Ireland and came to Canada when he was five years old. He studied media at Ryerson University and has worked on film sets in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Liam lives in London, Ontario.

Mike Deas is an author/illustrator of graphic novels, including Dalen and Gole, and the Graphic Guide Adventures series. While he grew up with a love of illustrative storytelling, Capilano College's Commercial Animation Program helped Mike fine-tune his drawing skills and imagination. Mike and his family live on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

"The book seamlessly moves from text to illustrated panels...The pace is swift...[readers] will careen along as gleefully as Tank and Fizz themselves, rejoicing when all ends well...A perfect mix of monstrous and silly."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This book provides lots of excitement and is an easy read...Readers will enjoy the graphics and the exciting pace of the story...Recommended."

School Library Connection

"The world of goblins, trolls and other monsters has many similarities to our world and the concept of allegory is beautifully depicted."

Resource Links

02/01/2016
Gr 3–5—Tank & Fizz are young goblins that love to solve crime (think Sherlock Holmes and Watson as monsters). While investigating corruption at the annual Battle Bot Cup, a wicked villain named The Codex threatens to take over all of the technology in Rockfall Mountain. Through their investigating skills (and a little bit of luck), Tank & Fizz do everything they can to stop The Codex and save their town. Comic book panels and splash pages are used with dramatic effect whenever there is action and adventure. The friendship between the two will be relatable to young readers. Rockfall Mountain's focus on technology make this a nice addition to STEM collections. Young readers will enjoy this story without having read the other story in the series. This is a great blend of mystery and fantasy that will have kids clamoring for more.

School Library Journal

2015-11-11
Young sleuths stumble on a demonic conspiracy to blow the lid off Slick City's new sports arena. Just for a start. Goblin Fizz Marlow and troll gearhead Tank Wrenchlin are convinced that slimeball schoolmate Rizzo Rawlins' supposedly homemade battle bot illegally incorporates professional-grade code and components. Their search for proof leads them and elven trainee wizard Aleetha to several puzzles. Who is the mysterious "Codex," and why is he (or she) supplying Rizzo as well as hacking Slick City's computer systems to threaten disaster if the just-finished Slurp Stadium is opened for the upcoming Battle Bot Cup? How did the stadium come to be built over a magic stone that could, as old maps hint, serve as a portal to demon worlds? What can a trio of fourth-graders do, opposed by corrupt officials, a bully with a pair of hulking hench-ogres, and a local business tycoon with—as it turns out—a high-tech hand-held demon controller? Well, plenty, though not without a few missteps, help from a surprising temporary ally, and lots of climactic bot-smashing. In a slick mix of narrative blocks and panels of nonscary monsters delivering punch lines in dialogue balloons, the exploit careens along to a triumphant close. High-energy high jinks in a multicultural, or at least multispecies, setting. (Graphic/mystery/fantasy hybrid. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews