Still, the quirky cast of characters, witty dialogue and high-stakes action make for an entertaining read that will likely...
Having survived his first year at the CIA Academy of Espionage (Spy School, 2012), 12-year-old Benjamin Ripley is looking forward to heading home for an assassin-free summer vacation with his family and old friends. That was the plan anyway.
Instead, Ben is headed to Spy Camp, a “wilderness education facility,” and the nefarious organization SPYDER is once again hot on his trail. The title of the novel is a bit misleading, as Ben hardly spends any time at the Happy Trails Sleepaway Camp for Boys and Girls. On the day he arrives, Ben receives a mysterious letter from SPYDER offering him the opportunity to lend his “special skills” to their efforts or be killed. And if it weren’t for 15-year-old Erica Hale, Ben’s secret crush and the “savviest spy-to-be” at Spy School, Ben would likely be facing certain death. Gibbs’ screenwriter roots are evident in the explosive action sequences as Erica assumes responsibility for saving Ben and dashing SPYDER’s evil plans. Unfortunately, Ben is often overshadowed by Erica’s fearlessness and superior spy skills. Readers may find themselves scratching their heads every now and again over who is the true protagonist and whether or not Ben has what it takes for a future in espionage.
Still, the quirky cast of characters, witty dialogue and high-stakes action make for an entertaining read that will likely satisfy adrenaline junkies. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 30, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5753-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stellar collection that, in celebrating heroes, helps readers find the universal in the specific.
An intentionally diverse collection of stories about “everyday heroes” that kids come across in their daily lives, people who are heroic in ways that don’t involve “special powers.”
In Juana Medina’s “Los Abuelos, Two Bright Minds,” young Juani spends the day with her grandparents, who inspire her with their loving connection and tales of immigrating from Bogotá, Colombia, to the United States. Stevie, the young hero of the story “Thrown,” by Mike Jung, is autistic and has just been promoted to the teens-and-adults aikido class; the special treat of this change is that his new sensei is also autistic. In “Home,” Hena Khan’s protagonist, Aleena, gets a new adopted brother, Hakeem, whom she and her parents pick up from an orphanage in Morocco. Soon the realities of a new little brother show her how annoying a younger sibling can be, but it’s Aleena who teaches Hakeem the true meaning of home. Compiled by Rhuday-Perkovich in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, the collection offers a vivid and vibrant assemblage of authors, experiences, and constructions of heroism. Other contributors include Lamar Giles, Ellen Oh, Joseph Bruchac, Cynthia Leitich Smith, R.J. Palacio, William Alexander, Rita Williams-Garcia, Ronald L. Smith, Linda Sue Park and her daughter, Anna Dobbin, and Suma Subramaniam.
A stellar collection that, in celebrating heroes, helps readers find the universal in the specific. (Short stories. 8-12)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-64630-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
PROFILES
Chalk up another treat for Korman fans.
Barney was legendary for appalling acts of canine depravity until his recent death; two kids—Zarabeth, his (one) mourner, and Keenan, her at-first-skeptical new friend—investigate his possible murder.
Keenan misses his cosmopolitan life in Shanghai, where his mom and stepdad teach at an international school. Recovering from tuberculosis at his dad’s house on tiny Centerlight Island, divided between the U.S. and Canada, is beyond boring until he meets Zarabeth, with Barney’s well-behaved (but sadly disdained) replacement and colorful tales of famous Prohibition-era gangsters attracted to the quiet island’s largely unguarded international border; Tommy-Gun Ferguson, who built her family’s house, might have hidden his gold bullion on the island. When Keenan, now well, proves popular at his new island school, Zarabeth feels isolated. Centrelight’s few Canadian kids must attend mainland schools via ferry. Not incidentally, the island’s more-numerous American kids resent contrarian Zarabeth’s stubborn advocacy for anything-but-lamented Barney. Now snubbed by Zarabeth, Keenan looks into Barney’s death to appease her—and finds her suspicions well founded. Like the island’s two spellings, Zarabeth’s cross-border observations wryly assert Canadian cultural identity. She and Keenan, both presumed white, alternate narration and are good company. Vivid secondary characters commit spontaneous acts of hilarious mayhem—the unscheduled school-lockdown drill is one standout—though Barney’s extreme depredations (like destroying a Porsche and a house porch in one go) occasionally strain credulity. Readers need to buy such pivotal plot points.
Chalk up another treat for Korman fans. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-279886-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
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