Spy Penguins by
Sam Hay, illustrated by Marek Jagucki, 225 pages. Feiwel and Griends
(Macmillan), 2018. $14.
Violence: PG (spy-type danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Jackson (who calls himself 00Zero) wants nothing more than to work for the FBI
(Frosty Bureau of Investigation). After failing to capture on video his skills
with a sled that had been modified by his best friend and inventor, Quigley
(also known as Agent A), he stumbles into a real FBI investigation that he is determined to
solve. Rare and endangered sea creatures are disappearing from the city
aquarium. The situation is further complicated because the dad of their friend
Lily, an employee at the aquarium, is a primary suspect and his job is in
jeopardy, and his uncle’s job with the FBI is, too. Jackson soon
narrows in on a more likely suspect -- the cruel celebrity owner (“Coldfinger”) of
a new restaurant next door. After a few false starts and wrong turns, with the
added complications of having to sneak past the eagle eyes of Jackson’s mom as well as protect the egg of his soon-to-be younger sibling, Jackson and his friends help solve the case.
If you
like everything penguin and spy stories, then this is the book for you. With
names relating to spying or the frozen environment, gadgets that are cool but
sometimes go sideways, and illustrations on almost every other spread, this is
a fast-moving fun adventure. The second book in the series is also now
available.
P.K. Foster
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