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JUNIPER KAI by Laura Gehl

JUNIPER KAI

Super Spy

by Laura Gehl ; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis

Pub Date: Sept. 3rd, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-4332-8
Publisher: Two Lions

Code-breaking manuals? Check. Disguises? Check. Spy cameras? Check!

Harriet the Spy would approve of this sharp-eyed investigator. This young, mixed-race heroine has all the tools of the spy trade at her disposal. And while she prefers to work alone, her mom and dad have always filled in as assets. But recently, something has changed. When she observes her parents making clandestine plans and writing in code, Juniper springs into action. What are her parents up to? With her dogged curiosity and creative problem-solving, Juniper covers a lot of ground, all while clad in her rose-colored shorts and mint-green socks. During a surveillance run, she detects her Asian-presenting dad building something that looks like a jail, while her dark-haired, brown-skinned, pleasantly plump mother whispers secrets on the phone. Juniper is given plenty of alone-time to plan, collect, and analyze all the intelligence. The animation-inflected illustrations cover every angle of the house, with tension building in the cover of darkness. Within the text, the complex, spy-related words are printed in colored, boldface type for dramatic emphasis. With skillful pacing, the storyline ramps up as the clues are collected. Will Juniper complete her mission? Or is this just the beginning of “the most important mission of [her] life”?

This will be a read-aloud favorite for little supersleuths, particularly those with junior agents on the way.

(Picture book. 4-8)