This is a fun series young readers (especially early elementary school age) will enjoy. The author did a nice job of including a physical disability but not focusing completely on it. The story has a nice mystery but is not scary.

The Absent Alpacas, the first book in Ron Roy and Kayla Whaley’s A to Z Animal Mystery series, is a delightful, kid-appropriate mystery story that entertains and educates.

My kids read all of the original A to Z Mysteries (including the Super Editions) and thoroughly enjoyed them. This new series incorporates animals and introduces a fresh new set of kids. Abbi Wallace and twins Lydia and Daniel Herrera, along with Abbie’s dog, Barkley, continue in the tradition of the original mystery kids – Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. It is nice to see Abbi, who is in a wheelchair, is clearly the leader of this trio. This adventure starts with Abbi, Lydia, and Daniel going to the Maine State fair. The highlight of the fair is the Alpaca Costume Contest. Margery Meadows, a friend of Mrs. Herrera, has an alpaca named Alpaca in Wonderland competing. The contest is delayed when all the other alpacas go missing. When suspicion falls on Ms. Margery, the kids go into detective mode to prove otherwise and find the missing alpacas.

In addition to being a fun read, the book deals with social issues in a readily accessible manner. Animal activists are picketing the fair, and there is some emphasis on the difficulties Abbi has with her wheelchair. The kids, however, take it in stride and help her when needed. The mystery is solved in a straightforward manner. I do feel that an opportunity to explore the possibility of the protesters as possible alpaca-nappers was missed, but the story was otherwise solid.

The book also presents a learning experience. I didn’t know that there was such a dog as a Bassador (cross between Basset Hound and a Labrador Retriever). And there is a list of alpaca facts at the end of the book. Another fun fact for readers of the earlier Ron Roy series is that Abbi’s adoptive mom is mystery writer Wallis Wallace (who first made an appearance in The Absent Author, albeit as a pen name for Mavis Green).

Beginning chapter readers who love animals should really enjoy The Absent Alpacas (and likely the rest of this series), and I recommend it highly.

Note: I received an ARC of The Absent Alpacas from NetGalley and Random House Children’s, Random House Books for Young Readers. The above is my honest review.

This book seems to be best suited for ages 6-8 year olds as my 10-year old felt it was a little young for him. He liked the characters but missed the original A to Z Mysteries' characters. He loved that it was about animals but wished there were more facts about alpacas included. He thought the mystery was pretty good but could have been better. He did enjoy that there were lots of funny parts. He is hoping to be able to read the next books in the series.

We received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from NetGalley.

My son absolutely loves Ron Roy's books, especially if it's on audiobook. "The Absent Alpacas" was a fun read.

This book was so cute! The Absent Alpacas was a very cute mystery where the three main characters work together to find out why alpacas have disappeared at the state fair. The artwork and the story flowed perfectly together.

I can't wait until this book releases so I can buy the physical copy for my 10 year old daughter. This book is right up her alley. She has dyslexia, and it is very helpful for her to see artwork to go with the story as its told. I also loved the diversity of the characters represented.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review!

This is a favorite series that both of my daughters love to read! The best part about this one is the kick-off to having animals as a main focus in the mystery.

Who doesn't love fluffy alpacas, but oh no, they went missing at the fair. This simple mystery is engaging for young readers and helps them problem solve. This is also a great reading level for elementary school kids and was read by my 2nd and 4th graders.

B is up next, can't wait for the next animal mystery!

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

This is an adorable book about a group of three friends solving a mystery about missing Alpacas. There is diversity and disability rep wove into the story in a seamless manner. The short chapters are perfect for younger kids and although the mystery was a simple one I think it was handled well and could see the mystery level increasing through the series. I think my niece would really enjoy this series.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a really cute book. I read this with my six-year-old niece and she loved it. She is just starting to read on her own, so the short chapters were perfect for her. The series consists of three friends, who are attending a state fair where alpacas have disappeared. They work together to find the culprit. I enjoyed reading this with my niece. She had a great time trying to figure out the culprit and had already asked me for the next book.

My daughter loved the Calendar Mysteries and A to Z Mysteries series, so we were excited to get to preview Ron Roy's new A to Z Animal Mysteries book! The first book in the series introduces Abbi, Lydia, and Daniel as they work together to solve the mystery of the missing alpacas.

The tone of the books is similar to the older series, but there are more mentions of technology and a more diverse group of main characters (in both ethnicity and ability). The mystery felt a bit too simplistic, and I would have liked there to be a little more complexity, even if that complexity came only from their first hunch not working out. Overall, it's a nice start to a new series that my family looks forward to reading more of!

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review! My family enjoyed it.

A cute children's chapter book about a girl, Abbi, and her two best friends who help solve a mystery. The main character, Abbi, uses a power wheelchair, and the authors do a great job of not focusing on it, but still making it a part of her character. Abbi and her friends are excited about the alpaca costume contest at the state fair, only to get there and discover all but one of the alpacas is missing. Abbi and her friends follow clues and help unravel the mystery of the absent alpacas. This book references some of the characters from the original A to Z Mysteries, but is a new series that can be read without reading the original series. Highly recommend for young readers!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a fun mystery read between 3 friends at a town fair. The mystery stays light and fun throughout, even though the stakes were high and key players were upset about the mystery.

The three main characters were each uniquely characterized. I especially appreciated Abbi's love of recording sounds; it's quirks like this that really stick out.

What stopped me from giving this more than 3 stars were 2 issues I had:
1) I would have loved a red herring or a little twist. The progress of the plot was pretty straight forward, and I think kids would like a little more problem-solving out of a mystery.
2) What was the point of the protesters? I figured they would be red herring, and maybe that was meant to be implied, but they didn't play a large enough role for me to consider that true. Do we just not like protesters lol? Would have loved more of a discussion about why protests happen.

Overall it was cute and fun! I'll be recommending this series!

I was a HUGE A to Z Mystery kid and when I saw this new spin off series I knew I needed it!

This was such a fun read and I know I would call up the elementary school teachers I know to get them to have this in their classrooms. I love the disability rep, the diverse characters, just everything was so fun. I thought the art work was very colorful and beautiful to look at.

I think this is a good opener to the spin off series and I do look forward to seeing where it goes and what animals they write about!!

5 stars

In "The Absent Alpacas", the A-Z Mysteries loved for years have moved to an updated early chapter book. The mystery story features diverse characters with an easy to follow story & pictures. The alpacas have gone missing before a fair. The students work together to solve the mystery. The solving goes pretty quickly and the story is mostly story set up.

Abbi and her friends, Lydia and Daniel are ready for a fun day at a fair, the highlight of which will be the Alpaca Costume Contest! There's only one problem. At the time of the contest, the alpacas are all missing except one! Clue are peppered throughout the story and readers might be able to piece it together just as Abbi and her friends do. It's a light, soft mystery that isn't scary at all. For adults, some bits might not be believable, but for kids, this is just cozy. This is an illustrated early chapter book (not a graphic novel) and it looks to be in full color. Abbi is in a wheel chair. Lydia and Daniel present as diverse. A lovely entry into early chapter books.

This updated A-Z Mysteries series in graphic novel format is perfect! I can’t wait to add this entire collection to our shelves. Ron Roy’s stories continue to thrill students, and this new format will attract even more readers. Loved to see all the diversity in the illustrations. Can’t wait to see more titles!

My son loves these books. We love the mystery and clues. He says that it reminds him of Scooby Doo but cooler! I highly recommended this to kids! It's a fun read!

I have to admit, I'm a huge fan of Ron Roy and his many books. In fact, I have read every one of them! This book is the first in the series, A to Z Animal Mysteries. The story follows a group of friends as they attend an event where Alpacas will be on display. From the very beginning you can feel their connection. I thought their relationship was very sweet. You also get to know each of their unique personalities. The adventure of the story was well written. It flows quickly as you discover the clues along with the group. I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Oh my goodness! This revamp of A-Z Mysteries is a slam dunk! I can’t wait to purchase this entire series for my students. The overall design is right, colorful, and is perfect for early chapter book readers!

A to Z Animal Mysteries #1: The Absent Alpacas is a fun mystery that any elementary student would enjoy reading. Abbigail “Abbi” Wallace and her two friends twins Lydia and Daniel are excited to attend the alpaca costume contest at the Main State Fair the only problem is when they get there all the alpacas except one has disappeared. A family friend, Ms. Margery seems to be the number one suspect. Can the friends find the missing alpaca and solve who and why someone would take the alpaca? This book does not disappoint. Love the added bonus of alpaca facts at the end of the book. Highly recommend for newer avid readers. A to Z books are a great introduction to the genre of mystery and the mystery surrounding animals makes them even better. Thank you Netgalley for this read.

This is a fun update on a classic. I especially loved the inclusiveness. I wish some of the details had been explored a little better, such as the reasoning behind the protests and what if anything changed as a result. However, I think that readers that enjoy light-hearted detective mysteries will enjoy this one.