Double Vision

February 1, 2013

Gr 5-7-After a disastrous class field trip to a farm where he releases all the chickens, 12-year-old Lincoln Baker is suspended indefinitely from Lompoc Middle School. On top of that, his folks are being sued for "chicken farm damages." A secret government organization shows up at his home offering a chance to make all his troubles disappear. It turns out that Linc is an exact double for their top kid agent, who has gone missing, and all Linc has to do to make everything right is fill in for him at a vital exchange. The story moves quickly from there with some witty prose and enjoyable characters. While spy novels ask readers to suspend disbelief, this plot contains more than the usual preposterous situations and unlikely scenarios. Linc is immediately thrown into danger with minimal preparation and training. The adult agents offer very little guidance and generally treat him with borderline disdain. He is sent from his home in California to Paris unsupervised with zero backup, and everyone is upset when the exchange fails. Despite this, Linc's persistence and ability to cause chaos eventually win the day and all's well that ends well. This thriller is reminiscent of a Disney Channel take on the kid superspy, in which the adults are basically nonentities and the children win through sheer luck or fantastic happenstance.-Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
Sixth-grader Linc has a particular gift for causing trouble on class field trips, and his latest adventure -- freeing the inmates of a chicken farm -- results in expulsion. Meanwhile, government agents discover that he bears an almost perfect resemblance to Benjamin Green, a junior secret agent who has gone missing, and enlist him as Ben's double. At boot camp Linc meets tech guru Henry, who quickly figures out that he isn't the real Ben but likes him all the better for it. With Henry's equipment and training, Linc flies to Paris, where he gets caught up in a swirl of events leading from landmark to landmark in search of Ben and then a mysterious painting, working with a French girl to crack codes and follow clues. Bradley gives Linc a great voice, with a good heart, some self-awareness, and a funny style: I should probably mention right now that I qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records as the slowest, most out-of-shape twelve-year-old in history. It's entertaining if not deep, with a fast pace, snappy narration, and an epilogue that promises a new adventure. susan dove lempke

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)