Double Vision

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