A Fast-Paced Adventure Story with a Well-Rounded Female Lead

Day of Ice (Crusoe #2) by Andrew Lane (Adaptive Books, 2017, 258pp.)

Friday, an agent of the king’s royal spy ring, is in trouble. While following a suspect through the frozen streets of London, she is captured by the insidious Circle of Thirteen and spirited away to a local insane asylum for mysterious purposes. As Friday fights tooth and nail against her captors, Robin, her friend and fellow spy, defies the orders of his superiors and risks everything to rescue her. In the process, both teens learn more about the Circle’s origins and intentions, as well as uncover a bizarre conspiracy of brainwashing and murder. Andrew Lane does pretty well with his second Crusoe novel, infusing it with break-neck pacing and high-drama chase scenes. Although Robin still remains relatively flat as a character, Friday really shines through as the story’s heroine, and readers will be eager to learn more about her past as the daughter of a pirate king. A lack of mature content leads me to recommend this title to adventure fans Grades 6-8.

Review: Surrounded by Sharks: A Spine-Tingling Adventure Tale (with No Character Development), by Michael Northrop

Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop (2014; Scholastic Press, 2016, 224pp.)

Thirteen-year-old Davey makes the worst mistake of his life when he decides to ignore the “No Swimming” sign at the beach. Shortly after he wades in, he’s overtaken by a dangerous riptide and swept out to sea. Now he’s floating in the middle of the ocean—and about to come head to head with a hungry tiger shark! While the novel’s lack of character development brings much disappointment, the plot that accompanies the author’s spine-tingling premise does not. It’s action-packed from beginning to end, and will definitely appeal to reluctant readers in Grades 5-7.

Dawn of Spies

Dawn of Spies (Crusoe #1) by Andrew Lane (Adaptive Books, 2017, 320pp.) 

In this reimagining of Daniel Defoe’s 18th century classic of shipwreck and survival, Robinson “Robin” Crusoe, a merchant’s son, and Friday, the daughter of a pirate king, are finally rescued from a desert island after three long years as living as castaways. Shortly after they arrive in London, the writer Daniel Defoe offers to buy the rights to their amazing story. In normal circumstances, this close-knit pair of friends would be reluctant to open up to a stranger--however, circumstances have rendered them penniless, and they see no other choice but to agree to a meeting. Imagine their surprise when Defoe later reveals himself to be a spy for the government. He thinks their unique experiences will make them perfect spies, and wants to recruit them for service under King Charles II. Their first mission is to protect the king’s daughter, the Countess of Lichfield, from kidnapping by enemies of the Crown. Of course, despite the valiant efforts of Robin, Friday, and other members of the king’s spy ring, the Countess is kidnapped by masked men, and carried away in a hot air balloon. Things get even more tense when its discovered that she’s been taken by the Circle of Thirteen, an organization dedicated to taking down the entire empire at any cost.

Having already cut his teeth on the “reinvented classic” genre with his Young Sherlock Holmes series, Andrew Lane--for the most part--executes his premise well. I especially like what he did with the role of Friday. In the classical text, Friday is Crusoe’s male servant who swears subservience to the Englishman after the latter saves him from cannibals. In Lane’s work, Friday is Crusoe’s friend and equal, a strong and capable young black woman who is more than capable of holding her own. Although the fast-paced nature of the tale leaves little room for character development (which would have, in my opinion, made it a much better novel), its interesting premise and swashbuckling action sequences make this a good choice for fans of action/adventure. Recommended for Ages 13-15.

Chaos Unleashed

Chaos Unleashed by Alec Sillifant (Meadowside Children’s Books, 2009, 352pp.)

When juvenile delinquent Jake Highfield is arrested yet again for some petty crime, the last thing he expects is to be recruited by the powers that be for his top-notch thieving skills—yet this is exactly what happens. In order to repay his debt to society, he is brought to St. Margaret’s, a special secret school that turns talented young lawbreakers into trained operatives, ready to risk life and limb for queen and country. Although Jake initially resists his integration into school-life, he soon settles down to a better life than he could have ever imagined. However, St. Margaret’s is not entirely what it seems. When rumors begin circulating that operatives are starting to disappear in the field, Jake doesn’t pay them much mind—until his best friend, Angel, finds evidence that suggests that he may be the next to vanish!

Chaos Unleashed is an entry that belongs to the “special school” genre of YA literature. Although the supporting cast leaves something to be desired, Jake and his friend, Angel, are finely drawn characters in this fast-paced novel. Recommended for fans of spy adventure, and Ages 15-Up.

Interesting Start to a Series, But Still Needs Work

Shadow (The Rex Deus Dynasty #1) by Olivia Cooper (Self-Published, 2013, 113pp.)

Orphaned when her adoptive parents both die within months of each other, 18-year-old Angelina Hathaway is a high-school dropout who works a satisfying, if low-paying, job at a restaurant. Enter Guillermo, a mysterious young man who contacts her with information about her birth parents: unbeknownst to her, her parents were high-ranking members of the Rex Deus Dynasty, an organization dedicated to protecting the lineage of Christ—of which Angelina is the last direct descendant. After she’s almost killed in her apartment by a mysterious assailant, the Rex Deus Dynasty whisks her away to a remote compound in Mendocino, California, where they provide her with a lavish lifestyle and opportunities to complete her education. She is allowed to come and go as she pleases; the only non-negotiable factor in the deal is that she must marry another of the blood and produce as many children as possible. Certainly not the worst fate imaginable, especially since her proposed future husband, Guillermo, is fairly attractive—but to a modern girl like Angelina, the proposition is more than a little creepy. Then, when one of the organization is mysteriously murdered by the same assailant who attacked her before, Angelina realizes that not even her new “friends” can ensure her safety.

Shadow is an interesting variation on a somewhat original premise (Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene!), but at only 113 pages, I finished the story with the impression that both plot and characters were left underdeveloped. So, while I recommend it as an interesting start to a series, I feel that it could still use a little more work. Recommended for Ages 14-Up.

Entertaining, But Far From Serious Literature

Source: Goodreads

Dawn of the Knight by Robert L. Beck (Self-Published, 2013, 247pp.)

Lance Rock, a Canadian teen, has been home-schooled since he was a child—but the education he has received is far from ordinary. Scott, his mentor of 12 years, is a former CIA operative. He has trained his young pupil in a broad range of subjects, such as multiple languages, computer hacking, and martial arts. But at 18, Lance is tired of his “training” and eager to live a “normal” life like his public school friends. He breaks off his training—and his relationship with his mentor—to travel to a high school in California as a foreign exchange student. Here, he meets his host family, Stacy Muller, a single mother, and her two teenaged daughters, Shannon and A.J. There’s also an assortment of new classmates, including Reina, a sultry female exchange student from Japan. Once lodged with the Mullers, however, he quickly comes to realize that this semester will be far from the “fun” he was seeking. His new school happens to be crawling with bullies (most of them from the football team). He also discovers that his host family is being terrorized by a group of mystery men—and Stacy, his host-mother, wants to keep their predicament under wraps! How will Lance, former home-schooled student, face up to the social protocol of public high school? And who is the gang tormenting his beloved host family? Beck’s novel traces Lance’s high school experience, from taking on the high school goons, to defending his host family’s household from sadistic strangers.

To be honest, I really wasn’t quite sure what to think about the story. I wasn’t sure if the author was poking fun at the martial arts genre, or writing a serious story. Some of Lance’s good-guy gestures are so grandiose as to be borderline satirical. After he frees the student body from the tyranny of the football team, the rejoicing he describes that follows is equal only to “Moses free[ing] the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage…” (164). Then there’s Reina, Lance’s classmate, who also specializes in martial arts and affectionately refers to him as “Lance-san” and “Samurai-san.” However, these complaints aside, I actually found the novel to be rather fun in a mindless, corny sort of way. So, my verdict? An entertaining read, but far from serious literature. Recommended for Ages 16-18.

If Hogwarts Taught Spy Skills Instead of Magic, It Would Look a Lot Like This

Source: Author Website

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter (2006; Disney-Hyperion, 2016, 304pp.)

If Hogwarts were a school for young spies instead of magic, it might look a lot like the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Fronting as a boarding school for bratty rich girls, it’s really a top-secret training school for spies. The school has hidden passageways, eccentric professors, and a rather unique curriculum, including classes in Covert Operations, Culture and Assimilation, and Protection and Enforcement (kind of like P.E., but way cooler). The heroine of the piece, Cammie “Chameleon” Morgan, is a sophomore and daughter to the headmistress, so naturally, she’s a whiz at spy stuff. When it comes to talking to guys, however, she’s clueless. So what does she do when she’s befriended by a sweet, handsome local boy? She can’t tell him anything about herself (that’s classified!), so she decides to make things up. Before long, the inevitable strains between her new boyfriend and schoolwork begin to form. Can her new beau handle the truth? With excellent world-building detail, sympathetic characters, and a strong heroine, the Gallagher Girls series makes an excellent choice for female teens looking for a new series. Recommended for Ages 13-15.

Of Course You Know, This Means War

Alias Dragonfly by Jane Singer (Bell Bridge Books, 2011, 178pp.)

Maddie Bradford has never been one to sit idle, and she’s worried to death about her father, a soldier in the Union army. After being sent to live in D.C. with her only other living relative, a Confederate-sympathizing aunt, she’s desperate to help bring the war to close. This is when she meets Timothy Webster, a man posing as a Rebel, who recognizes her flawless recall skills and photographic memory as excellent attributes for a spy. He invites her to become part of Allan Pinkerton’s spy ring, a real-life historical organization that first hired women to work as spies. Singer uses an interesting, little-known bit of factual history as the basis for her material. The first half of the novel is slow going, but once the action starts teens will be turning pages till the end. Recommended for teens Ages 13-15.