COUNTDOWN ZERO

Fresh off a stint as an “actual, real-life” secret agent who almost singlehandedly saved the world, Carson Fender, aka Agent Zero, is having trouble adjusting to post-mission life as an ordinary seventh-grader back in North Dakota.

Naturally, then, when HQ once again comes calling for the assistance of their top kid agent, Carson is in, no matter the stakes. The whole mission coincides perfectly with a class field trip to Mount Rushmore, making Carson the ideal candidate for the job. While his friends are taking in the sights, Carson must infiltrate a secret agency conveniently located in Teddy Roosevelt’s head, deliver the cure to a deadly virus, save Agent Nineteen, trapped inside, and get back before anyone from his class realizes he’s gone missing. Missions, however, never go quite as planned. Carson soon finds himself involved in a much larger and more dangerous plot, spearheaded by his old nemesis, the evil Mule Medlock. Though readers must wait too long for the start of the mission and the story meanders, once things get rolling, there are some great action scenes and several plot twists that force Carson to question whom he can really trust.

Both established fans of Agent Zero and those new to the series will surely find Carson a funny and endearing mini-Bond, right down to the supercool gadgets. (Adventure. 9-12)