Spy aficionados will find this purr-fect.
An impulsive feline agent and her robot fish sidekick must save the world from a diabolical crab.
With an act-first, think-later attitude, tiger-striped cat Agent 9 is on probation with the Super Secret Spy Service after racking up millions of dollars in damage to property. After pleading her case to headquarters, she is granted one last chance to prove herself. She is accompanied by her trusty mechanical-fish companion, Fin, who, although it communicates only in beeps, acts as her voice of reason. When both Agent 9’s boss, O, and Fin are captured by the villainous King Crab, Agent 9 soon uncovers Crab’s true intentions: He means not only to infiltrate S4, but also to melt the ice caps, flood the entire globe (creating the titular “Flood-a-Geddon”), and build a worldwide water park. Agent 9 must stop him before it is too late, but can she temper her impulsive streak long enough to save the day? Burks’ delightful graphic romp features an animal cast of characters with familiar human traits; Agent 9’s go-go-go attitude should resonate in a world that rarely prizes slowing down. Full-color panels, amply punctuated with action words, of varying sizes fill the spreads, making for a fast-paced offering. With a blend of thrilling chase scenes and a generous helping of humor, this crowd pleaser should be catnip to fans of series like Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys.
Spy aficionados will find this purr-fect. (Graphic thriller. 7-10)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20294-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
A mystery, a school story, sibling rivalry and the loss of a pet blend surprisingly well in this engaging chapter book. Charmingly awkward fifth grader Edgar Allan decides to solve a series of minor thefts that are plaguing his teacher, Ms. Herschel. Clues are plentiful—and rhymed—but the competition to solve them is fierce. Edgar’s nemesis, Patrick Chen, seems to have the inside track since his dad works in forensics. Edgar, however, finds that the friends he makes along the way provide the winning edge. Including transcripts of Edgar’s ingenuous interviews as well as poems written by a number of class members in her narrative, Amato provides a clear picture of both social and family dynamics while keeping the story moving smoothly along. The author’s characteristic humor is somewhat muted, but examples of amusing wordplay abound. Some readers may guess the identity of the culprit more quickly than Edgar and his friends do, but whodunit is not really the point. Solving puzzles, making friends and learning to see the world more clearly are the true aims of this adventure. (Mystery. 7-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2271-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
A fun-if-flimsy vehicle for science lovers.
A fifth grade girl brings her love of chemistry to the school play.
Kate loves science so much she’s determined to breathe fire. Of course she knows that she needs adult supervision, and so, with her science teacher’s help, Kate demonstrates an experiment with cornstarch and a blowtorch that nearly sets her teacher’s cactus on fire. Consequences ensue. Can someone who loves science as much as Kate does find pleasure spending her fall break at drama camp? It turns out that even the school play—Dragons vs. Unicorns—needs a chemist, though, and Kate saves the day with glue and glitter. She’s sabotaged along the way, but everything is fine after Kate and her frenemy agree to communicate better (an underwhelming response to escalating bullying). Doodles decorate the pages; steps for the one experiment described that can be done at home—making glittery unicorn-horn glue—are included. The most exciting experiments depicted, though, include flames or liquid nitrogen and could only be done with the help of a friendly science teacher. Biberdorf teaches chemistry at the University of Texas and also performs science-education programs as “Kate the Chemist”; in addition to giving her protagonist her name and enthusiasm, she also seems represented in Kate-the-character’s love of the fictional YouTube personality “Dr. Caroline.” Kate and her nemesis are white; Kate’s best friends are black and South Asian.
A fun-if-flimsy vehicle for science lovers. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11655-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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