by Rachel Wildavsky
Amulet, 2011
368 pages
Exciting adventure book for tweens, The Secret of Rover is a sure hit. This action book is a cross between Alex Rider adventures and a modern day Nancy Drew. Twins David and Katie live happily with their parents Sandra and Alan Bowden until the Bowdens travel to Katkajan to adopt baby Theo. Once there, the Bowdens and their new baby are kidnapped.
Katie and David stay stateside with a nanny from Katkajan hired to watch them in their parent's absence. Their parents thought having a Katkajanian nanny would help the adopted baby feel at home. But this nanny is evil--the kids soon find out that Trixieis no nanny and she isn't there to watch over them; she is there to steal from them and snoop into their parents' computers.
As Trixie becomes more dangerous and more Katkajanians show up at their home, the kids know they are in real trouble. After the bad guys dump them in a rat-infested house in their old, pre-millionaire, tumble-down neighborhood, Katie and David manage to escape and are on the run. They decide to find recluse Uncle Alex and seek his help to find their missing parents.
Years before, their mom and dad along with Uncle Alex developed a secret creation that they sold for millions to the U.S. government. Uncle Alex was in love at the time, and no one knows why but he left civilization and became a sort of hermit in Vermont.
It's hard to be on the run when you're only twelve. The police will find two twelve-year old kids traveling alone suspicious; storekeepers will ask questions, and the foreign bad guys are still following them. The kids are captivating, quick-thinking, brave, and incredibly creative at solving problems on the road. The secret of Rover will be revealed and it will save everyone.
Great fun and spectacular adventure, The Secret of Rover will delight readers who enjoy adventure and espionage books.
Highly recommended grades 4-8.
FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this galley from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
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