Leave it to Mac Barnett to create this zany series about his childhood adventures as a spy. (You read that right. Whether you believe it is up to you.) In this second book he describes the case of stolen Crown Jewels. Imagine being a kid and having the Queen of England send for you to help her out. Of course, it is a bummer that the summons came just as Mac was about to win at a nearly impossible video game. Instead, "The screen flashed the saddest two words in the English language: Game Over."
But there is plenty of humor to offset such sad scenes. Readers will learn that in British English pants = underwear, so don't ever say that you will beat the pants off someone. Besides tracking down the missing jewels and dodging assassination attempts, Mac also gives the Queen some advice about gifts. "The best gifts are those you can read -" he explains.
Combine a young Mac with a Queen who thinks the nest gifts are wearable, a Corgi named Freddie (along with quite a few other Corgis), a beefeater named Holcroft, and the odd cobra or so ... and you get a rollicking adventure with illustrations designed to make you laugh your pants, uhm, trousers off.
As Mac says, "This message will now self-destruct, unless the publisher decided we didn't have the budget for that."
Hand this to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and other heavily illustrated stories of childhood exploits.
I read an advance copy provided by the publisher for review purposes. Any quotes may change in wording in the finished edition of the text.
Recommended by: Suzanne Costner, Library Media Specialist, Tennessee USA
Mac B. is back... and this time, a new enemy is after the Crown Jewels! Will Mac solve this locked-room mystery in time?
An instant New York Times bestseller!
The Crown Jewels are in danger... again! When the jewels go missing from inside a locked room, Mac's spy skills are put to the test. How did the thief break in? Where did the jewels go? And will Mac be able to solve this locked room mystery before the thief escapes? This mystery isn't just a whodunit... it's a howdunit!
The action in this new adventure is nonstop, as Mac travels to an ancient Irish castle to solve the mystery. There, he encounters everything from killer king cobras to bizarre ice sculptures... and even a revenge plot dating back hundreds of years! Will you be able to solve the mystery before Mac does? Also features historical facts masterfully woven throughout the plot, and full-color illustrations on every page. Don't miss the newest installment of this totally smart and sidesplittingly funny New York Times bestselling series, Mac B., Kid Spy.---from the publisher
