Hello readers,

Since a picture generally speaks louder than words, here’s the cover, another masterpiece by Lucy Cummins.

As a few of you had noted on my blog, the title for this book somehow leaked out on Google a few months back, but I — and everyone else at Simon & Schuster — hadn’t really locked it in until recently.  There were a few other possibilities in play (including a suggestion of my own daughter) but once the cover was done, we realized this one worked.

And here’s the answer to what you’re asking next: What’s the book about?

For the first time, a book in this series is going to deal with a wild animal.  A mountain lion is on the loose around FunJungle.

As the park plans for its enormous one year anniversary celebration, operations there seem to be running smoothly for once (except for the occasional herring-related mishap in the penguin exhibit) and Teddy is finally able to give detective work a rest.  But then a local mountain lion is accused of killing a famous dog — and the dog’s owner, an inflammatory radio host — goes on a crusade to have the cat declared a nuisance so it can be hunted.  

However, there’s evidence that the lion might have been framed for murder, and now a renegade animal activist wants Teddy and Summer to help prove it — and catch the real killer.  And if that wasn’t enough, someone has poisoned FunJungle’s beloved giraffes and J.J. McCracken wants Teddy on the case.  Now, Teddy finds himself mixed up in the middle of his most bizarre, hilarious and dangerous adventure yet.

As usual, that’s all I’m going to share with you about the plot for now.  I know I’m going to get dozens of responses asking me which other characters are going to appear in the book, and things like that, but I’m not going to answer them.  Because the more you know about the book before you start reading it, the less fun it is to read it.

Besides, you only have to wait until next February for it.  (And if that seems to long, remember there will be a new Spy School out in October.)

If you’re desperate to pre-order it, you can click here.  But you might want to wait a bit, because there is always a good chance Barnes & Noble will do an exclusive edition of the book.