Ryan Quinn and the Lion's Claw

July 15, 2017
In his second novel, McGee follows up on Ryan Quinn and the Rebel's Escape (2016) with another high-action adventure that reads much like the screenplays of his television movies.Newly minted New Yorker Ryan, having barely escaped his first life-threatening adventure, is still coming to grips with having learned his parents are key agents in the Emergency Rescue Committee. The white eighth-grader now understands why they've moved around so much and how his parents' "games" have in reality been training him for undercover work all his life. It's still a lot to take in. Life throws him a twist when his new best friend, Filipino-American computer nerd Danny, excited to do ERC work, stows away on a plane--and Ryan has no choice but to join him. With his parents out of town, Ryan and Danny find themselves caught up in an ERC mission of their own, trying to rescue two rebellious young rap stars who have been on the run from a repressive (fictional) government in Africa, where there is a price on their heads. And it appears that someone's about to collect...unless Ryan and Danny can come to the rescue. The well-traveled Ryan's previous experiences in Africa give McGee an opportunity to directly address the West's dominant narrative, but whether he sufficiently interrogates it is open to question. Still, solid characters, snappy dialogue, and tons of action keep pages flipping. Hits the spot for adventure junkies. (Thriller. 10-14)

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July 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-In this second installment, the intrepid Ryan Quinn knows something is going on with the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), the organization that his parents work for. He also knows that his parents are hiding something from him. When a stranger, Lawrence, shows up one night in his house, claiming that his friend and music partner, Nadia, was kidnapped, Ryan gets down to business. His parents are away on other ERC business in Chicago, so Ryan and his friend Danny decide to make themselves honorary members of the ERC by sneaking onto the plane that is taking Nadia to Africa. While trying to save the two musicians, Ryan courageously treks through dangerous but scenic routes in Lovanda and sees firsthand the political unrest there. He also discovers the big secret about his past that his parents have concealed. Meanwhile, his other friend Kasey helps hunt down the traitor who is selling the identities of the ERC rescues. The characters are flat, and there is more telling than showing, but this is a quick, plot-oriented read. VERDICT An action-packed adventure that reads almost like a screenplay and should find a place in most collections. This will keep reluctant readers in suspense, especially those who enjoyed the first title.-Rachel Reinwald, Lake Villa District Library, IL

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