Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Spy X by Peter Lerangis: Review

 

It's time for the second month of The Books that made me Love Reading Challenge, hosted by Emlyn Chand! For February, the book- well, series, actually, that I've picked is...


In this thrilling mystery series, 12-year-old twins Andrew and Evie navigate through a maze of intrigue and espionage as they try to uncover the truth about their mother's disappearance. Leaving only a cryptic note, Andrew and Evie's mother vanishes on their eleventh birthday. 
Now, almost a year later, the twins receive a mysterious package from someone named Spy X. They soon learn that the contents of the box will lead them on an incredible journey toward finding their mother - and into a world where no one's identity can be trusted.

Andrew and Evie aren't initially sure what to make of the package that arrives at their door soon after they move to a new town. It's filled with random things--a key, something that looks like a kaleidoscope, a seed packet, and a cryptic note. But over time, each item takes on unique importance. 
The twins decide to fill the dull weeks before the start of school by spying on their neighbors. Their first target is their next-door-neighbor. At first she seems like a run-of-the-mill older lady, but she turns out to be a retired code specialist. She teaches them to create and break codes, skills that become important as twins' search for their mother intensifies.
Spy X is a four book spy adventure series. I can still remember the day I bought my copy of the series. It was the second book, Hide and Seek. At the same time, I'd also bought The Mediator: High Stakes, by Meg Cabot. Mixing MG and YA lit together, but ended up loving both series. :D

So, I ended up rereading the entire series. Hey, they're short books! And I gotta say, I still enjoyed them. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always been fascinated with spies and codes and secret missions. It was fun rereading Andrew and Evie's adventures as they cracked clues and solved puzzles in search of their mother.

This series has it all- tons of mystery, humor, and non-stop action and adventure. The codes and riddles in the book are fun, albeit a bit difficult, to crack. I can still remember a certain code in the fourth book, and how it's brilliance absolutely stunned me. There are cliffhangers, jaw dropping revelations, and a lot of other shocking surprises which will keep you flipping through the pages.

The Rating
Five stars. Spy X is a middle grade series, but that didn't stop me from loving it. I definitely recommend it kids, because the fast paced plot will definitely capture their attention. Heck, this series made my sister love reading! Not kidding. She's currently bugging me for new books for her to read!

Jen @ Midnight Book Thief

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5 comments:

  1. This book sounds great!

    Here's my recommendations of books for twelve year olds who like spooky/mysterious stuff:
    Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator series by Jennifer Allison
    Echo Falls Series by Peter Abraham
    Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls by Elyse Primavera

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    1. It IS, trust me! Well, for kids anyway. not so sure with adults. :P

      And thanks for the recs! Maybe I'll let my little sis check them out. :D

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  2. I wish my sister was old enough to read. I'm currently trying to get her to start, but she's not even in school yet, and keeps saying stuff like "No, Tizia, I will not read your crazy stuff!" or "But only if you play Barbie with me afterwards." She could just say that she doesn't want to read, couldn't she? Barbie. *shiver* XD

    I'm not sure about MG myself, though. Many YA's have this annoying self-rightous vibe going on, and I wonder: Do MGs have that, too? I wouldn't think so because annoying, self-rightous and naive often comes with being 15 *wince* so it often HAS to be a part of YA novels in order for them to be realistic, sad as that is, but.. Mhe. I don't know. I'm always afraid that I'll turn to hate the novels so many people love..

    Then again, your review sounds so good.. AND I just remembered that when I was younger I did in fact read two or three MG books and liked them well enough. oô Maybe I should give them a go. Recommendations?

    This was so off-topic. So back to your review: It was so convincing that I'll probably read books written for this age group despite my biased feelings. Feel flattered, evil you! Soon I'll be so broke, I will have to take baths in the lake.

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    1. Ouch, not good. I am SO happy my sister didn't go through that Barbie phase... *shudders*

      And as for your question, I don't really know. Though I don't think so, I guess. MC in MGs are too young to be self-righteous. But naive, yes. :D

      Err... I never read that many MGs... only Spy X, On the Run and Kidnapped series by Gordon Korman, and Chasing Yesterday by Robin Wasserman. They're pretty good though. Oh, and The Raven Hill Mysteries were awesome! :D Yep, that's it. I kinda skipped to adult and went straight to Sidney Sheldon and the likes after. :P Back to YA now!

      HAHAHA! *wipes tear* Ah, this never fails to make me laugh! :D Though I dunno if you'll enjoy reading books for 10-12 year olds... But hey, you might enjoy them! :P I mean, there aren't that many TSTL MCs in MGs, I think!

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  3. I've never heard of this series before, but it sounds really fun. I'm going to add it on GoodReads. I'm reading mostly MG for this challenge, and gosh, I really love MG (even as an adult)!

    Em :-D

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Don't just sit there with your mouth hanging open. Flies will get in. Why don't you leave a comment instead and allow me to get a peek of those thoughts running in that brain of yours?