Two days before Indiana Bamboo's eleventh birthday, Paradise Pets, her favorite store in the small town of River Creek, is robbed. All the animals are missing, from her beloved Maurice the Brown Bear to Princess Penelope, the puppy she's been coveting, and Indiana is on the case! She teams up with her best friend, Jamie, and her new friend, Tom, to search for clues. The kids tangle with the petnappers all over town, but all is nearly lost when Indiana suspects that Tom is in cahoots with the bad guys. Just when things couldn't get worse, Indiana overhears the petnappers at Stefano Stefano's Ice Cream Parlor plotting to make the animals disappear forever. There's no time to lose, but how can Indiana foil their evil plan and rescue the animals before it's too late?
Indiana Bamboo will leave you breathless. Who else would be desperate to save a two-toothed cougar, a mangy-lookin’ lion, and a chubby bear named Maurice? It’s a riotous mystery with vivid characters and that jubilant detective, Indiana, herself. You’ll never forget her.
- Patricia Reilly Giff
Indiana is an appealingly plucky heroine, and the plot is smooth and fast-paced [with] . . . intriguing twists and turns . . . The prose also has fresh and clever moments, such as when Indiana says, "My brain was usually [so chock] full of ideas, they crashed around like bumper cars at the Indiana State Fair." . . . An action-packed story that's full of adventure, mischief, and animal fun.
- Kirkus Reviews
An impressively well written and unfailingly entertaining read from beginning to end, "Indiana Bamboo" is especially recommended for young readers ages 9 to 11, and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to both elementary school and community library General Fiction collections. . . . All the more impressive when considering that "Indiana Bamboo" is author Meira Rosenberg's debut as a novelist.
- Midwest Book Review, Children's Bookwatch
What do a brown bear, a two-toothed cougar, and a mustard-yellow lion have in common? Answer: they’re all three missing, along with the other animals from Paradise Pets, and Indiana Bamboo and her friends have to find them. The missing animals are not ordinary cats and dogs—and Indiana and her friends are not ordinary sleuths as they escape one tight spot after another in their efforts to return the missing to their proper home. A fast-moving adventure that will keep readers turning the page.
- Connie Jordan Green
