Ripley's Bureau of Investigation is a series of children's fiction books published by Ripley Publishing in the United States and distributed by Random House in the United Kingdom and Icewater Press in Australia.[1][2][3] It consists of eight published books. Two later books in the series, Danger Underground and Haunted Hotel, remained unpublished until they recently appeared exclusively on the children's reading app, Pickatale.[4] The series was intended to have twelve books in total, but it discontinued, likely due to low sales.
The series follows seven extraordinary pupils at the fictional 'Ripley High', based on "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" founder Robert Ripley's real-life mansion on a private island in Long Island Sound on the East Coast of the United States. In the books Robert Ripley is represented by a supercomputer.[5] The chosen pupils, each with unique powers and skills, form the Ripley's Bureau of Investigation, tasked with investigating unusual stories and facts around the world.[6]
Characters
editD.U.L. Agents
editThe "Department of Unbelievable Lies" are mysterious villains in the RBI stories who work against the RBI agents.[7]
RBI Agents and other characters
edit| Agent | Age | Nationality | Powers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alek Filipov | 15 | Russian | Gymnast, incredibly strong and flexible.[8] |
| Kobe Shakur | 15 | Kenyan | Physical endurance and tracking skills, as well as telepathic abilities.[8] |
| Kate Jones | 14 | English | Photographic memory and can learn languages in minutes.[8] |
| Max Johnson | 14 | American | Technology genius, creates robots and hacks computers.[8] |
| Li Yong | 15 | Chinese | Musical genius, expert hearing, can identify and imitate any sound.[8] |
| Jack Stevens | 14 | Australian | Able to communicate with animals.[8] |
| Zia Mendoza | 13 | Venezuelan | Ability to conduct high levels of electricity, may be able to influence the weather.[8] |
Other regular characters include the teachers Mr Cain and Dr Maxwell, who assist the RBI in their missions.[9]
Titles
edit| Title | Subject | Agents Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Book 1 A Scaly Tale | Creature in the swamps of the Florida Everglades | Kobe, Jack, Zia[8] |
| Book 2 The Dragon's Triangle | Reports of a dragon off the coast of Japan | Max, Alek, Zia[10] |
| Book 3 Running Wild | Feral child in the mountains of China | Jack, Kate, Kobe[11] |
| Book 4 Secrets of the Deep | Search for an underwater city in the Mediterranean[7] | Kate, Li, Alek |
| Book 5 Wings of Fear | Unidentified flying object over London | Max, Jack, Li[12] |
| Book 6 Sub-Zero Survival | Hunt for an artifact left by Robert Ripley in the ice of Antarctica | Alek, Kate, Max[13] |
| Book 7 Shock Horror | Investigating mysterious blackouts and exploding trees in Canada | Zia, Li, Max |
| Book 8 Lost Island | Tracking down a furry two-trunked elephant and an island filled with unbelievable animals on an island in East Africa | Jack, Li, Kobe |
| Book 9 Danger Underground (unpublished, ebook) | Mysterious explosion at an isolated gas station in the Australian Outback | Zia, Alek, Jack, Kobe[4] |
| Book 10 Haunted Hotel (unpublished, ebook) | Ghostly happenings at Castle Warden in Florida | Max, Kate, Li[4] |
References
edit- ^ "Children's Book Review- RBI Fact or Fiction: A Scaly Tale". Thesupermom.com. 2010-04-22. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Ripley's RBI Book 5 - Wings of Fear". Icewaterpress.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "News". The Bookseller. 2010-07-20. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ a b c Wilkins, Kay. "The library". Pickatale. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "CHILDRen's BOOK REVIEWS - RBI: SCALY TALE (Ripley RBI #1) by Ripley's Believe It or Not". Archived from the original on 2010-05-04. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- ^ a b RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Secrets of the Deep ISBN 978-1-893951-54-9
- ^ a b c d e f g h RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: A Scaly Tale. Ripley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893951-52-5
- ^ RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: The Dragon's Triangle. Ripley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893951-53-2
- ^ RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: The Dragon’s Triangle. Ripley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893951-53-2
- ^ RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Running Wild. Ripley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893951-55-6
- ^ RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Wings of Fear. Ripley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893951-56-3
- ^ RBI book Ripley Publishing (2010) Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Sub-Zero Survival ISBN 978-1-893951-57-0
