Thicker Than Water

happypug12 - Spy fans, James Bond fans, ANYTHING fans, you will LOVE this book! (Make sure you've read the first book, Playing with Fire, before you start this epic sequel.) Let me just tell you, I was so, so, so excited to read this book (I didn't even know there was a sequel until I found this book randomly) and I was absolutely NOT disappointed! We are warmly greeted with with our amazing (and snippy) main character, Max. Your heart starts to pound as the drama suddenly intensifies, as Max's sneakers slap the pavement and time seems to slow, as Max pulls the trigger of the weapon and . . . well, I won't spoil it for you. There is NO cheesy drama in this, and no matter what your opinion on spy books is, there just isn't any in this, but that DOES NOT mean we miss a single bit of Max's much-loved wry smiles and witty cracks. The action is just so well balanced, and this book is extremely quick paced. It is lovable in every form, with Max's "daddy" issues, the explosions, rubber bullets, hostages, Cynnabar's protectiveness of Max, and - EVERYTHING. This book will appeal to all audiences, especially people who adore action and exploding coke bottles or maybe just someone who wants a book that they can curl up with and never ever stop reading. Clean language and clean humor. 5/5 stars!

April 1, 2014
Internal dissension, security leaks and attacks from a much larger rival add up to disaster for the orphanage-cum-spy school introduced in Playing with Fire (2013). The Merry Sunshine Orphanage, now the school for Systematic Protection, Intelligence & Espionage Services, can't catch a break. Money is tight, a nosy inspector from the Ministry of Health is threatening to close the facility down, and LOTUS, the school's huge and well-heeled nemesis, is somehow finding out about and spoiling every mission. The prospect of more foster-home misery is a downer for lead spy kid Max, but that's not all. He's not only subject to constant put-downs from bullying schoolmate Nikki, but also tortured by conflicting feelings for his father, a spy who disappeared years ago but is now repeatedly popping into view at inconvenient times to deliver vague pleas or warnings. Hale is usually good at keeping things light, but here, the banter just comes off as bickering, and the jokes fall flat. So does the plot, which strings together lengthy chases with labored Mission Impossible-style exploits, features a "mole" whose identity is obvious from the outset and ends with a cliffhanger that doesn't feel earned. Where's Chet Gecko when you need him? Joyless, juiceless, predictable. (Thriller. 11-13)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-In this follow-up to Playing with Fire (Disney-Hyperion, 2013), Max Segredo and his crew at the Merry Sunshine Orphanage (aka the School for S.P.I.E.S.) are battling against the evil LOTUS operation, which is trying to shut them down. When the S.P.I.E.S. are hired by a mysterious billionaire to steal a mind-control device, it may be their only hope of saving the school.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.