Ripley's Bureau of Investigation
Encyclopedia
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
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. 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.
Other regular characters include the teachers Mr Cain and Dr Maxwell, who assist the RBI in their missions.
A further four titles are in production.
Ripley Publishing Ltd
Ripley Publishing is a publisher based in London, United Kingdom. The company was set up in 2008 by Ripley Entertainment, owner of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! brand of museums, cartoons, television shows and books...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and distributed by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Icewater Press in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
The series follows seven extraordinary pupils at the fictional 'Ripley High', based on Ripley’s Believe It or Not! founder Robert Ripley’s
Robert Ripley
Robert LeRoy Ripley was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur and amateur anthropologist, who created the world famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series, radio show, and television show which feature odd 'facts' from around the world.Subjects covered in Ripley's cartoons and text...
real-life mansion on a private island in Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
on the East Coast of the United States. In the books Robert Ripley is represented by a supercomputer. 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.
RBI Agents and other characters
| Agent | Age | Nationality | Powers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe | 15 | Kenyan | Physical endurance and tracking powers, as well as telepathic abilities. |
| Jack | 14 | Australian | Able to communicate with animals. |
| Max | 14 | American | Technology genius, creates robots and hacks computers. |
| Li | 15 | Chinese | Musical genius, can identify and imitate any sound. |
| Zia | 13 | Venezuelan | Ability to conduct high levels of electricity, may be able to influence the weather. |
| Alek | 15 | Russian | Gymnast, incredibly strong and flexible. |
| Kate | 14 | English | Photographic memory and can learn languages in minutes. |
Other regular characters include the teachers Mr Cain and Dr Maxwell, who assist the RBI in their missions.
D.U.L. Agents
The “Department of Unbelievable Lies” are mysterious villains in the RBI stories who work against the RBI agents.RBI Titles
| Title | Subject | Agents Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Book 1 A Scaly Tale | Creature in the swamps of the Florida Everglades | Kobe, Jack, Zia |
| Book 2 The Dragon’s Triangle | Reports of a dragon off the coast of Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
Max, Alek, Zia |
| Book 3 Running Wild | Feral child Feral child A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language... in the mountains of China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... |
Jack, Kate, Kobe |
| Book 4 Secrets of the Deep | Search for an underwater city in the Mediterranean | Kate, Li, Alek |
| Book 5 Wings of Fear | Unidentified flying object over London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Max, Jack, Li |
| Book 6 Sub-Zero Survival | Hunt for an artifact left by Robert Ripley Robert Ripley Robert LeRoy Ripley was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur and amateur anthropologist, who created the world famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series, radio show, and television show which feature odd 'facts' from around the world.Subjects covered in Ripley's cartoons and text... in the ice of Antarctica |
Alek, Kate, Max |
| Book 7 Shock Horror | Investigating mysterious blackouts and exploding trees in Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Zia, Li, Max |
| Book 8 Lost Island | Tracking down a furry two-trunked elephant and an island filled with unbelievable animals on a island in East Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... |
Jack, Li, Kobe |
A further four titles are in production.