Posts Tagged 'spies'

Icecore by Matt Whyman

Published January 6, 2009 Adventure , RAC , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 305 p.

RAC List: Yes

Carl Hobbes was mysteriously picked up on his way home from school and informed that he is being investigated for stealing gold bars from Fort Knox. He admits to taking a challenge issued to him by a chat room to find flaws in the security system, but denies having anything to do with the theft. He is taken to Icecore, a frozen detention center in the Arctic Circle for questioning. Carl is told that with his cooperation the United States won’t press charges, but after arriving in this place he quickly realizes that he may have been set up. The guards abuse the inmates, the inmates are kept in cages, and there are vicious dogs waiting to tear into them if they make a false move. As Carl begins to realize his dire situation, an unexpected even occurs in which he begins to worry more about his survival than his freedom.

For students who like to read spy type novels this book will keep their attention for the entire story. National security, detention centers, interrogation techniques, undercover spies, and even hardened criminals are all topics that are touched on in this exciting story. The middle lagged a bit and the ending may not please all readers, but it is still worth a read for fans of The Bourne Series or The Sleeper Code Series.

Flying Boats and Spies: a Nick Grant Adventure by Jamie Dodson

Published May 13, 2008 Adventure , Historical Fiction , RAC 23 Comments
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Early Review

Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 240

RAC Book: Yes

Nick Grant is living in 1935 during a very difficult time in U.S. history. His father’s business has been so drastically hurt by the depression that he has had to leave town to look for work. Nick is sixteen and desperate to help his mother pay the mortgage. When he hears about a boat hiring men to help build Pan American Airways, a series of places across the Pacific for planes to use in order to cross the Pacific, he jumps at the chance and leaves without telling his mother. Of course, Nick doesn’t tell them his real age or they would never have hired him.

During his travels he experiences espionage, storms, and even a chance to fly with Pan Am pilots. He works harder than he could have ever imagined he could and enjoys every minute. The entire time he is running from an unknown enemy who seems to anticipate his every move. He fears telling anyone about the man following him for fear that he is being paranoid.

This adventure story is fun and packed with drama, suspense, and even historical knowledge. Real people and places make appearances in the book to help set the scene in a way that young readers will be able to see what it was like in the Pacific in 1935. Any adventure readers will enjoy the retro writing style, but boys especially will enjoy the adventure and will be able to identify with Nick Grant as he struggles through adolescence.

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