Notice the wonderful fiery helicopters and the tag line under the title: "Grow Up Fast- Or Else!" That's exactly what Jade and Rich do when their mother dies and they end up with the father they didn't know they had-- a father who happens to be a spy involved in a dangerous bid to secure the formula for a superfuel. (Okay, it ends up being something more sinister, but I won't ruin it for you.) With shade of Alex Rider, the children hunt down bad guys and work on saving their father, and, by coincidence, the entire free world.Fairly standard plot, but it is the type of story that children crave. Given the number of political/spy thrillers for adults, this should not be a surprise. Apparently this Higgins is "one of the world's most popular authors". I've never heard of him, although Justin Richards is the author of the wonderful The Death Collector. (And the new The Chaos Code, which sounds great.)
This is well-crafted and highly readable, and the children will adore it. Add it to the growing list of spy novels starting with Alex Rider; Jimmy Coates, Traitor and Payback, and the Robert Muchamore. Buy two and be glad for the inevitable sequel!
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