THE SECRET AGENTS STRIKE BACK

Kyle Parker and the rest of the secret agents return for another adventure. Last time out, they got Kyle’s dad’s book published, but Kyle and friends couldn’t save his parents’ marriage. This time, a secret in Lucinda’s mother’s past threatens to force the family to move to Atlanta. After dealing with a few boy/girl issues, the agents first ferret out the secret (Mom’s dissertation was stolen by evil Harry Templeton who built his career on it for 23 years) and then trick the villain into confessing on tape. Home-Economics guru Spizman and English teacher Johnston have brought back all the caricatured characters from their first. Also making a return is the annoying, omniscient narrator who speaks like an espresso-swilling ’tween with ADHD. There are moments of great conclusion-leaping, some breaking and entering and a few laughs. The kids act more like sixth-graders than high-schoolers. However, like last time, the adventure is fun, so fans may be pleased. But they will be the only ones. (Fiction. 9-12)