Detective/Spy
I.Q. Book One: Independence Hall by Roland Smith
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Mar.05, 2014, under Adventure, Detective/Spy, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Spencer D.
Who would like this book? Anyone who likes spies, magic, history, and some other cool stuff! This book is filled with adventure and crazy spy action, that you wo’t stop reading!
The goods on this book: This book is about a mom named Blaze, a dad named Roger, and two kids named Angela and Q, or Quest. Q’s dad went crazy and was told not to go within 500 feet of this new family. Angela’s mom supposedly died in Independence Hall on November 30, 2004. Blaze and Roger get married and create a band called Match, and they’re going on a huge tour for a year! It seems like some regular family fun until a man named Boone joins the story and the heat escalates! Boone is apparently a former spy and has some “friends” who are waiting to kill! As the kids are reeled into the situation, Blaze and Roger are on tour pleasing many crowds and audiences! Will Q and Angela spill the beans and get the tour canceled, or ride along to see what happens? Is Angela’s “dead” mom still alive, and is Leopard a real terrorist? Find out a ton of information in I.Q.
The goods on this book: 302 pages; 2008 Review by Spencer D.
The Agency #1: A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Feb.09, 2014, under Detective/Spy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Sam's Reviews
Who would like this book? People, especially girls 12 and up, who like mysteries set in Victorian London of the 1850s.
The goods on this book: As the book opens, 12-year-old Mary Quinn, orphan and thief, is saved from being executed for her crimes by a stranger from Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. The story picks up five years later, and Mary has settled into life at the Academy and has even become a teacher. Not for long. She is recruited by a special organization of female spies called The Agency and takes her first undercover position as a companion to the daughter of a shipping tycoon who suspected of fraud and smuggling. Mary’s duplicity in her situation gives rise to all sorts of challenges, especially when she encounters the younger brother of the daughter’s suitor in very awkward circumstances. This book not only tells a fast -paced mystery with surprising and satisfying plot twists, it also deals with many significant issues such as discrimination, class differences, and gender issues. The first in a series, it’s a mystery worth reading.
The details: 335 pages; 2010 Review by Samrarian
The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. Book 1) by Eoin Colfer
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Dec.16, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Sam's Reviews, Science Fiction, Steampunk
Who would like this book? People, 7th grade and up, who like time travel, action, danger, murder, and some humor in a steampunk mix of Victorian and modern London. It’s also for fans of Artemis Fowl who are looking for more intensity.
The goods on this book: Chevron Savano is a 17-year-old FBI agent in modern London who has been demoted to watch over the long inactive W.A.R.P. (Witness Anonymous Relocation Program) time machine pod that allows agents to take at-risk witnesses to the safety of Victorian London. The only problem is that an evil assassin, Albert Garrick, is training his unlucky apprentice Riley to make the kill on their current mark who happens to be the FBI agent from the future. When the wormhole opens, Riley is sucked into the future, where he meets and teams up with Chevie. The two of them embark on a wild attempt to escape Garrick, who becomes an even more formidably nefarious force because of what happens to him in the wormhole. Garrick has other enemies, though, and the plot’s many threads weave through time with complications that unwind into a very satisfying conclusion. If you like nonstop action and don’t mind some blood and a bit of humor, grab this book!
The details: 341 pages; 2013 Review by Samrarian
The Flickering Torch Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.18, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Noah D.
Who would like this book? I think most boys between 10 and 13 will like this Hardy Boys book. There is a lot of action and adventure, and the Hardy Boys are solving mysteries and go on cool investigations. They always have nice cars, drive motorcycles and speed boats, fly planes, and eat really good food.
The goods on this book: Frank and Joe Hardy get asked by their Dad to help solve why two experienced pilots crashed their planes near Marlin Crag Airport and died. The Hardy Boys and their friend Chet start the investigation and find a radioactive engine at O.K. Mudd’s airplane junkyard. Chet has a lot of hobbies and wants to build an airplane during this book. Chet bought this radioactive airplane fuselage and helps Frank and Joe find clues. The three friends looked for clues at the bottom of the rocky cliffs near where the planes crashed in a speedboat called the “Sleuth,” and learn that Chet’s engine was stolen. The Hardy Boys drive around looking for more clues and find a popular dance place called “The Flickering Torch.” Frank Hardy helps the local band with one of the amplifiers, and discovers uranium isotopes hidden in it. Some of the bad guys in this book learned to change coal into diamonds by using the isotopes and hid those uranimum isotopes in the amplifier. This uranium discovery leads the Hardy Boys to discover why the planes crashed and why the two pilots died.
The details: 181 pages; 1971 Review by Noah D.
The Haunted Fort by Franklin W. Dixon
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Nov.15, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Mystery, Student Reviews
Review by Noah D.
Who would like this book?
I think that most boys who are about 11 to 13 , and who like mysteries and adventure will like this book. This book isn’t too long and it isn’t really short either. The Hardy brothers have cool cars, boats, fly airplanes, eat a lot of good food, and always have a cool mystery they solve.
The goods on this book: Frank and Joe Hardy are brothers and have a best friend named Chet Morton. They all enjoy doing detective work together and like to investigate mysteries. In this book, the three friends go to a summer art school in New England run by Chet’s Uncle Jim. Uncle Jim is an instructor and he has asked the Hardy brothers and Chet to help him find who is stealing paintings. The French Fort Senadaga, originally called Fort du Lac, is across Crown Lake from the art school. The Fort has underground tunnels, dungeon cells, and is haunted. People argue if the ghosts are from the Fort’s soldiers. The boys need to find famous oil paintings that were stolen from a millionaire named Mr. Jefferson Davenport. One clue is a chain made of pure gold. Frank, Joe, and Chet have many situations that could have killed them, but they always find a way out.
The details: 176 pages; 2004 (1993) Review by Noah D.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jul.26, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Historical Fiction, Printz Award, Sam's Reviews, Teen Top 10
Who would like this book? Mature readers looking for exceptionally well-written historical fiction (WWII) from two first person narrators.
The goods on this book: Queenie (or Lady Julia), a British spy, has been captured by the Nazis and is being brutally interrogated by them. To forestall her inevitable execution, Queenie has consented to write about the British war effort. She frustrates her keepers because as she divulges information, she insists on writing about her own story – her unlikely friendship with the working-class pilot, Maddie, who Queenie believes has died. Queenie’s writings are also rash commentaries on her treatment and her jailers, surreptitiously giving much information about the hotel converted into a prison. Queenie’s story is riveting as it stands alone, with the question of her intentions and her reliability hovering over all she writes. When the last third of the book switches narrators to Maddie, the story flies into another dimension of intensity and compelling action. Maddie’s story reveals so much about Queenie’s story that it took my breath away. This book has it all – it’s an historical thriller and a heart-breaking story of friendship. For mature readers who appreciate exceptional writing about two amazing women characters, this book is a must-read.
The details: 343 pp. 2012 Review by Samrarian
Patriot Games by Tom Clancey
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jun.09, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Student Reviews
Review by Braden A.
Who would like this book? Males would like this book better than females.
The goods on this book: The main character is Jack Ryan, who is in London and sees an attack on the important people. The terrorist Sean Miller is stopped by Jack. Jack feels that he needs to protect his family, but he didn’t do a very good job at that. more to come
The details: 503 pp. 1987 Review by Braden A.
Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.15, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Student Reviews
Review by Madissyn
Who would like this book? People of all ages.
The goods on this book: A girl named Camie wakes up. She does not know where she is, but she remembers she is a spy. Camie is on a mountain,and her mom finds her and they go back to there school. She does not remember what she did over the summer because it has been erased from her mind. She is in danger from a terrorist organization. This book has a great story, and it is a thriller.
The details: 294 pp. 2012 Review by Madissyn
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.12, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Student Reviews
Review by Emma P.
Who would like this book? Teen girls and some teen boys would like this book because it is a detective mystery and has tons of adventure. There’s a little romance in it, too, but mostly it’s mysterious and adventurous, so people who love mysteries and adventure would like this book very much…I did. 🙂
The goods on this book: Sherlock Holmes is a teenage boy who goes to Deepdene School for Boys. He’s spending his summer with some elderly relatives out in the country in England. While he’s out there he makes a new friend named Matty, and has a really cool tutor named Amyus Crowe. While Sherlock expects his vacation to be a tedious one, he instead finds himself in a shocking murder mystery. He finds a man’s body lying twisted on the ground with bloody boils on his face. Sherlock’s vacation is going to be no vacation for him as he throws himself into a dangerous investigation.
The details: 311 pp. 2011 Review by Emma P.
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.09, 2013, under Detective/Spy, Student Reviews
Review by Braden A.
Who would like this book? It is a Navy kind of book with submarines and stuff. It has some swearing, and is written for adults.
The goods on this book: A Russian submarine named Red October goes west and plans to defect to the U.S. The Russian government asks America for help to destroy the Red October. There are Russian submarines along the American coast because they know the Red October is trying to get there. Then the President, Jack Ryan, and Skip Tyler try to come up with a plan to secretly get the Red October because the submarine is a new one that they want to take apart and put back together. Both sides (America and Russia) get the feeling the other is lying. This book is long (654 pages), but it is a good storyline and has a bunch of sequels.
The details: 469 pp. 1984 Review by Braden A.
