Frankie Fox, Girl Spy: READY, SET, SPY

Frankie Fox, Girl Spy: READY, SET, SPY by Yvette Poshoglian
(Lothian/Hachette)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN: 9780734415684
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

Eleven-year-old Francesca (Frankie) Fox, motherless but with a millionaire Dad, has a boathouse for her room which she shares with Boss, her West Highland Terrier. It is located on a cliff 178 steps down from the main house called Griffin where Hanna the housekeeper keeps house for her Dad and cooks for the three of them when her Dad is home. He is a brilliant scientist and runs a secret set of labs on Fortress Island which Frankie can see from the boathouse window. Frankie's Dad protects his property with an electric fence, and is concerned that his wealth and scientific knowledge could make him a target of an evil group called the Alliance, a threat to the whole world.

Frankie has always wanted to be a spy. She is studying The Spy's Handbook which belonged to her Dad and pours over it every free moment. There is a code scribbled inside it that she needs to decipher and so far has been stumped. Unusual things have been happening. Frankie thinks she is being watched and her room has definitely been searched. Later, when kayaking, her boat is almost overturned by a woman in a kayak who she recalls later was the stand-in bus driver on the school bus. Also, strange underwater lights are puzzling.

James Jensen (JJ), a new neighbour but previous resident returned from Iceland who attends Frankie's school, arranges to kayak across to Fortress Island with Frankie and Boss. The two kayakers set off one evening and once again Frankie sees the underwater lights. When they land on the island, they come across soldiers and are captured. Their captors are agents for Griffin and are fighting the Alliance. When Frankie is told her father has been kidnapped by the Alliance, she is amazed to discover both JJ and herself have been in training as Griffin spies, and as things fall into place, she knows whatever she has to do to rescue her father, she will do it. It is vital she deciphers the code in her spy handbook and completes Mission Icefall. And Boss and JJ have a role to play, too.

Yvette Poshoglian, a Sydney-based high school teacher involved in creative writing workshops, has created an exciting story with plenty of intrigue and drama. She uses retrospect cleverly to keep the momentum charged and pacey. Each chapter is headed by a quote from The Spy's Handbook which alludes to the content and increases interest.

EJ Spy School: Deep Water

EJ Spy School: Deep Water by Susannah McFarlane, illustration by Dyani Stagg (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $7.99
ISBN 978-1-92193-164-2
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Swimming day at school is coming up and 8 year old Emma Jacks does not want to go. She is scared of deep water. Luckily for her she gets a call from SHINE, the top secret agency where she is training to be a spy. As EJ10, she takes the mission tube and zips off to another spy class - at the beach. If she wants to earn her underwater spy badge she is going to have to face her fears of the deep water after all.

EJ10 is trained in underwater spy work with the help of Bubbles the dolphin. Then they set off to clean rubbish which is polluting the sea. But when Bubbles is trapped, is EJ10 ready to dive deep to save her new friend?

The EJ Spy School series is written for beginner readers. The text has large font, basic words and short chapters. The content is exciting, mission based and mostly focusses on overcoming fears, environmental concerns and rescuing animals. There are plenty of fun spy gadgets too.

The pictures are sweet and often used in the place of text – to illustrate what is worn underwater or to show EJ’s spy profile. Young girls will love this series.

 

Riddle Gully Runaway

Riddle Gully Runaway by Jen Banyard (Fremantle Press)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9-781-922-089-885

Reviewed by Neridah McMullin

  

Pollo di Nozi is a reporter-in-training and the local super sleuth of Riddle Gully. She definitely has a nose for news but occasionally she does get things a little bit muddled up. So it’s just as well her heart is in the right place.

Pollo can smell a mystery from a mile away and when things start to go missing in Riddle Gully, Pollo can’t resist the challenge to solve it. With Shorn Connery, her sheepish sidekick pet and her best friend Will by her side, Pollo is determined to track down the thief.

Unfortunately, Pollo is quick to point the finger and accidently implicates the Mayors nephew, Benson.

With determined zeal, Pollo strives to redeem herself for getting it ‘wrong’ and whilst restoring Benson’s reputation, setting the record straight. What follows is a series of hilarious mishaps, typical of Pollo Di Nozi’s adventures. But that’s why we love her!

Riddle Gully Runaway is a story that skips along. It’s fast-paced and funny, packed with action, false leads, adventure and mystery, in the fight to clear Benson’s name and find out who the real thief is.

It was quite sad in places as Benson’s had a bit of a rough family life but he’s a forgiving and brave character and Pollo, as her charming self, with Shorn Connery and Will, definitely comes through with the goods and a thoroughly satisfying ending.

Jen Banyard has extensive Teaching Resources that support this novel engaging learning about English Language, Literature and Literacy. The notes also suggest that the book can be used as a springboard for discussion about family relationships, teenagers, journalism, local government, and the understanding that people are not always as they might at first appear.

This is Jen Banyard’s third book and it’s a well-written, humorous and suspenseful read for readers of middle fiction (10 – 12 years). I thoroughly recommend this book!

  

Neridah McMullin is the author of five books for children. Her latest book is an Indigenous folklore story called 'Kick it to Me'. It’s an ‘aussie rules’ story that’s being endorsed by the Australian Football League. Neridah loves family, footy and doing yoga with her cat Carlos (who also just happens to love footy).

EJ Spy School: The Race

EJ Spy School: The Race by Susannah McFarlane, illustrations by Dyani Stagg (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $7.99
ISBN 978-1-92193-153-6
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

In the first Spy School book The Test Emma Jacks was recruited to work for Top Secret spy agency 'Shine'. In this story, The Race, she is an agent in training. Her first spy training lesson is in fitness and EJ10 is unsure of how she will go in a difficult looking obstacle race. Will she make it around the course in her allotted 15 minutes? And does she have time to rescue a baby duckling along the way?

Based on the bestselling EJ12 Girl Hero series, EJ Spy School is for younger readers, 5 plus. In The Race Emma is introduced to spy gadgets and the fabulously fun way she gets from school to emergency missions.

Written especially for beginner readers, The Race incorporates short chapters with large text broken up by black and white illustrations and a simple storyline with no plot deviations. Already popular, the exciting world of Emma and her friends on Shine Agency missions, is now accessible to a younger readership who I’m sure will love these books as well.

EJ12 Girl Hero: Spooked!

EJ12 Girl Hero: Spooked! by Susannah McFarlane (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN 978-1-92193-150-5
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Shine’s EJ12 (known also as twelve-year-old schoolgirl Emma Jacks), is now the leader of her own team. She is very excited about being OM (On Mission) with her friends, but is she brave enough for this particularly scary mission? She cannot watch the whole of Fright School, a scary zombie movie that everyone else seems to have watched. So will she find the courage to see this scary task through?

Across England, castles are being broken into at the stroke of midnight by Lady Darcy Kerrin, the ghost of historic bad girl and lady-in-waiting to the queen. Lady Darcy is also believed to be one of the original members of Shadow, the evil agency that Shine is battling against.

This mission gives EJ12 a chance to see her friend EK12, solve more baffling codes and discover some truths about her own ancestry, but she and her team are working against the clock to outsmart some very scary spirits.

Spooked! is the 17th title in this popular spy series for young girls and this one will give an edge of thrill as ghosts, bats and haunted castles come into play.

Review: EJ12 Girl Hero: Big Brother

EJ12 Girl Hero: Big Brother by Susannah McFarlane (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN 978-1-92193-116-1
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Emma Jacks has an irritating problem - her big brother Bob. Emma and her friends discover that he’s has been spying on them during a sleepover. If he has learnt about their involvement in the secret spy organisation SHINE there could be trouble. But when SHINE needs her help once again, Emma forgets about home life and, as agent EJ12, springs into action.

The evil agency SHADOW has somehow managed to plant spies into the CAT (SHINE’s Centre for Animal Training) and these spies are discovering way too much about SHINE’s operations, secrets and C.H.A.R.M.S.

This mission may prove to be very difficult for EJ12. She is great at code cracking, following clues and even dealing with double agents, but when it comes to horses EJ12 is not so confident. Has Bob’s annoying spying incident given EJ12 the ideas she needs to crack SHADOW’s infiltration wide open? Maybe Emma’s brother is not so bad after all.

Big Brother is book 15 in the popular EJ12 Girl Hero series. Emma Jacks is a strong character with fierce loyalty to her friends. She is a fast and independent thinker, with a good sense of right and wrong.

This series is suitable for readers eight years and up. Girls especially will enjoy this spy fantasy where twelve year olds go on secret missions, use futuristic gadgets and save the world. Animals are also a strong element throughout all the books, another winner for girls of this age.

Readers can also explore the updated website at ej12girlhero.com.au where SHINE challenges such as code breakers can be attempted, the EJ12 quiz can be taken and the gadgets can be examined in the C.H.A.R.M. Lab.

Striker: Sudden Death

Striker: Sudden Death by Nick Hale (Egmont Press)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 9781405249508

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

What happens when your parents are divorced and after making the decision to move across the world to be with your father, incredible things start to happen, and you discover that almost everything you’ve been told is a lie?  Welcome to Jake’s life.

Jake Bastin at sixteen is a soccer team captain, and is following a life in sport left by his legendary father’s footsteps. He has abandoned Paris and his mother to join his father, Steve, in London. He barely arrives when Chernoff, his father’s friend hiding a suspect past, is poisoned in a restaurant while dining together. This sets off a course of events that force Jake to question everything he has been told by his enigmatic father.

Jake travels with his father to Russia at the request of the billionaire, Popov, in his private jet to coach a new team. While in mid-air, a fellow traveller and the two pilots are shot dead. Steve’s quick and cool-headed reaction saves their lives. Jake secretly questions the curious fact that Popov totally disregard these traumatic events, and acts as if nothing untoward has happened. These murders set a precedent for the remainder of the Jake’s Russian visit.

Jake’s curious and dissatisfied mind sends him out in search of answers and he uncovers ghastly secrets through detective work and lots of eavesdropping. He learns of sinister plots that involve his father in some way or another. Corruption seems to be everywhere and murder is a regular occurrence.

How and why is scientific research on tidal energy tied into a soccer match? Is Jake’s father really involved in murder? Why is the Russian Mafia and MI6 involved in something as everyday as sport?

This is a new action thriller series with a new young hero and countless twists and turns. It is riveting and fast-paced, and will be devoured at one sitting.