Spy Toys: Out of Control

January 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 Having landed gigs as special agents for the Department of Secret Affairs in the opening episode Spy Toys? (2018), three intelligent toys with slight defects tackle a cyberterrorist in this equally madcap sequel. It seems that a secret override command programmed into all the products of toy megacorporation Snaztacular Ultrafun has been stolen from chief computer scientist Percival Potty as part of a scheme by disaffected smart toys to turn the grand opening of AI theme park Wow World into a round of revenge at abusive toy owners. Can superstrong teddy bear Dan, hyperaggressive rag doll Arabella, and bunny-bodied policebot Flax scotch the hackers' dastardly plot? Natch?though not before rough encounters with foes ranging from a self-assembling jigsaw puzzle to a set of thuggish Tough Cookies, various cliff-hangers and hostage rescues, and a surprise main villain, Player One, who gloatingly explains his every fiendishly clever step. Wesson's cartoon scenes of toys in black underscore the zany tone of this rather topical thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)