The Zac Power Collection

Gr 3—6—Zac Power, 12, and his family are secret agents working for the GIB (Government Investigation Bureau), an agency whose mission is to stamp out evil throughout the world. Zac's geeky older brother, Leon, is a technology wizard and assists Zac on his missions. For each assignment, Zac uses a unique gadget—from virtual reality glasses to a "protector projector" which produces holograms to "tramp-o-sox"which allow Zac to bounce his way out of quicksand. Zac depends entirely on his GIB issued SpyPad, which acts as code breaker, laser, satellite phone, gaming device, and more. In each of the six titles by H. I. Larry, Zac is sent on a secret mission to save the world from evil-doers. For example, in Poison Island (2008), Zac must prevent Dr. Drastic from producing the poisonous Solution X and rescue Leon from an erupting volcano. In Mind Games (2008, both Feiwel & Friends)), Zac is shopping at the mall for some new sneakers when he's whisked away to discover who is trying to hack into World Eye. Other titles include Deep Waters, Frozen Fear, Tomb of Doom, and Night Raid. Each mission must be solved within 24 hours, and Zac is always provided extraordinary means of transportation such as an amphibious submersible, a robotic camel, or a solar powered dune buggy. Aussie Alan King's crisp and suspense-filled narration works perfectly, providing a thrilling roller-coaster ride through danger-filled missions. His nasal whine for Leon, and shrill, ditzy voice for his mom are hilarious. Reluctant readers who are too young for Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series will be entertained.—Nancy Baumann, University of Columbia-Missouri