Clayton Stone, At Your Service

June 15, 2015
Thirty-six hours and one intercepted phone call from the president of the United States is all it takes for 12-year-old Clayton Stone to go from an average, lacrosse-playing seventh-grader to secret agent for the U.S. Special Service. It turns out that his knack for covert operations shouldn't come as a total surprise; as Clayton quickly discovers, it's in his blood. Not only were his parents and grandfather Special Service agents, but his grandmother, as Clayton is shocked to discover, once headed up the entire organization. Now, with a senator's wife and daughter kidnapped by the infamous "mall napper," the president has reinstated her as chief and asked Clayton to help them crack the case. Juggling his top-secret life against school and athletic responsibilities isn't easy, but it provides plenty of opportunities for action and fun. Though the mall-napper storyline is a bit thin, there are plenty of cool gadgets and action-packed predicaments to keep middle-grade readers entertained. However, what really makes this take on the kid-turned-spy story special is that it has a heart. At its core, this is a story about family. For Clayton, this means both the family he was born into and also his family of teammates. Clayton's endearing senses of loyalty to and responsibility for both family and friends is the undercurrent that gives this story depth and sets it apart from the rest. (Thriller. 8-12)

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July 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Clayton Stone is perfectly happy living his life as a mild-mannered 12-year-old lacrosse player, but finds he has a thirst for adventure when he is suddenly thrust into an underground world of intrigue and danger. It turns out that his sweet Gran, who runs a diner in DC, actually works for a top-secret government agency. When a series of kidnappings culminates in the capture of a senator's wife and daughter, Clayton is enlisted to ensnare the bad guys. Will he find the victims in time to make it to his lacrosse game? This exciting premise is misspent with flat characters and a confusing plot. The secret spy grandmother has the most potential for humor and interest and yet she barely appears in the second half of the book. Heavy-handed attempts at colloquialisms make the dialogue and Clayton's inner monologue seem forced. The mystery is disappointingly solved rather hastily and without much creativity. Additionally, there are moments when Clayton inexplicably chooses to drive a car and carry a gun, despite having training in neither. VERDICT A clever and action-promising premise may interest some reluctant readers, but clunky writing will confuse more than amuse.-Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 Meet Clayton Stone: average seventh-grade student, above-average lacrosse player. But, as it turns out, Clayton is very unusual in one wayhis parents (dead), grandfather (dead), and grandmother (very alive and super feisty) were all agents of the Special Service, a U.S. government organization more secret than the Secret Service, more special than Special Forces. Clayton becomes aware of this legacy when he is recruited to help foil an organized group of criminals kidnapping wealthy moms and children from upscale malls. Soon his life is full of missions and gadgets and more secrets than he can keep up with. Set in the moneyed suburbs of Northern Virginia, this book combines family and school drama with Nancy Drewstyle precocious sleuthing. Some readers may have difficulty identifying with Clayton's preppy private-school environment, but most will recognize his conflicts as he tries to incorporate the responsibilities of his new secret life with his responsibilities to his team and friends. Hand to readers who loved Stuart Gibbs' Spy School series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)