Itch Rocks

June 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Mayo picks up the story of Itchingham Lofte just a few months after he has survived kidnapping by a psychopath and near-fatal levels of radiation. Cornish high-schooler "Itch," as he is known to all and sundry, managed to hide several samples of the heretofore unknown element 126 that has potential as a source of energy and a horrible weapon. Now he and his family are protected 24/7 by a team of MI5 agents and with good reason. Nathaniel Flowerdew, Itch's kidnapper, and Shivvi Tan Fook, Flowerdew's murderous associate, want 126, as do other criminal groups, and that means they need to trick or force the location from Itch. School is strange for Itch, his sister Chloe, and his cousin Jack, especially now that the formerly friendly Lucy Cavendish has become inexplicably cold and even vicious toward the trio. MI5 foils one kidnapping attempt but Itch and the girls are fooled into ducking their minders, and all three are captured. Shivvi coerces Itch to return to face element 126 at Woodingdean Well. Mayo carefully layers action with moments between family and friends to provide both adrenaline and a human side to the story. Itch, Chloe, and Jack are terrific characters who combine brains, heart, and will in a believable fashion. Regardless of their feelings about science, readers will cheer for these kids.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library Wisconsin Rapids

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2014
Itchingham "Itch" Lofte is back and ready to prove that sometimes kids are better than adults at saving the world. You'd think dropping six highly radioactive pieces of element 126 down a 1,285-foot-deep well at great personal peril would have earned Itch the right to relax for the school year. Indeed, he and his sister and their cousin have a highly skilled team from MI5 providing round-the-clock security both at home and school. But their old nemeses, Shivvi Tan Fook and Nathaniel Flowerdew, haven't given up their pursuit of the world's most valuable element. When the government fails to protect the people closest to him, Itch once again takes matters into his own hands. The first half of the book will feel slow for those readers who enjoyed the breakneck speed of Mayo's first book, Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter (2013). Instead of outsmarting the criminals, the children turn their talents to avoiding school bullies and trying to stay out of trouble while the adults fumble their techniques for keeping the kids safe. The action heats up in the second part of the book, when Itch takes matters into his own hands and uses his keen brain and knowledge of chemical reactions to foil his pursuers. A satisfying continuation of Itch's adventures as an element-hunter superhero. (Adventure. 10-15)

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