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Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J FICTION RYL | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
From Chris Rylander, author of the breakout hit Fourth Stall saga, comes an incredibly funny and clever mash-up of middle grade school story and spy adventure.
There are places in the world where heroes are born. There are places where brave men and women fight a never-ending battle against evil in order to keep our country and all other countries safe. There are places where the fate of our planet is being decided, even at this very moment, the consequences of which will echo through history.
None of these places is in North Dakota.
Carson Fender, seventh grader and notorious prankster, knows this. He's lived in North Dakota for his entire life, going to the same boring school every day, the same boring movie theater every week, the same boring state fair every year. Nothing ever changes, and nothing ever happens. That is, until today. Because today a desperate man hands him a package with a dire set of instructions. And that package is going to lead Carson to discover that there's a secret government agency operating in his small, quiet North Dakota hometown. And that this agency needs his help.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-8-Carson is a perpetually bored seventh grader who satisfies his craving for action by orchestrating increasingly elaborate pranks at school. One day, he is handed a mysterious package and told he must deliver it-but not open it under any circumstances!-and suddenly life becomes anything but boring. The package is connected to a top-secret government agency, which recruits Carson to protect one of his classmates and foil the plans of a terrorist organization. Excitement builds as Carson-codename Zero-and his quirky friends put together the puzzle as only a team of plucky, imaginative kids can. Carson and his friends are funny and likable, and the pacing of the story is just right. The action steadily builds to a climax that satisfies, yet also whets the appetite for a sequel. Good for reluctant readers, and for any kid who likes tales of action, mischief, and friendship.-Emma Burkhart, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Bored by his mundane North Dakotan existence, seventh grader Carson gets his kicks pulling elaborate pranks. But then one day a mysterious man hands him a package ready to self-destruct, plunging Carson into an underground world of secret government agencies and international crime. The story is told with humor, suspense, and a bit of heart, and the last page seems to promise another installment. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Desperate to spice up life in his small, North Dakota town, seventh-grader Carson Fender has secured his position as Erik Hill Middle School's number-one prankster. But shortly after Carson orchestrates the release of a herd of fainting goats on school grounds, life in Minot gets a whole lot more interestingand it doesn't have anything to do with the goats. When a strange man unloads a mysterious package on Carson and informs him that "the fate of the world depends" on him delivering it to a Mr. Jensen, it becomes clear that there's more going on in this small town than he ever imagined, and Carson is now at the heart of it all. With its high-stakes secret missions, gadgets and underground government agencies, readers in search of a solid middle-grade spy novel will find plenty to enjoy here. Carson is a funny and engaging protagonist, and readers will relate to both his longing for a more interesting life and his angst once he finds it. Though Carson has an intriguing cast of close friends, including a deliciously unapologetic, conspiracy-theorist best friend, one of the novel's greatest shortcomings is that they don't play a larger role in the story. Still, this is an exciting, zippy read that will leave readers wondering if there's more to their own hometowns than meets the eye. (Thriller. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Seventh-grader Carson Fender pulls pranks to liven up the most boring school in the most boring city in the most boring state. But when a stranger gives him a mysterious package, Carson discovers that there is a supersecret government agency in town, and it wants his help. That plot produces an initially fast-paced and energetic story, and although part of the book's appeal is its humor, it can fall flat at times. The supporting cast is a bit one-dimensional but entertaining. The mysterious-package countdown gives a lot of tension to the first part of the story, which then slows toward the end. But now that the series has a setup, further adventures should be able to move forward; enough dangling threads remain to support what comes next.--Hailey, Peggy Copyright 2014 Booklist