Gr 5—7—Duncan (aka Gluestick) and his fellow NERDS are back for a second wacky caper. The fifth-grade superspies are called into action after a series of unusual bank heists, all committed by a masked criminal who appears to mesmerize his victims. They recognize their traitorous former comrade Simon ("Choppers"), whose ability to control minds with his enormous buckteeth is a useful skill for a would-be supervillain. Following his humiliating defeat in NERDS (Abrams, 2009), Simon has returned to seek revenge against his former teammates and, incidentally, to conquer the world. His adult ally in this fiendish plot is an obese computer whiz with an addiction to superhero comics. Albert, who still lives in his mother's basement, yearns for real superpowers of his own. Simon promises to provide them—if his new minion can figure out a way to nullify the NERDS. Without their special powers, how can the NERDS foil Simon's evil scheme? Like the first story, this one is presented as a secret spy file. Buckley periodically breaks page to address readers directly with humorously sarcastic comments and coded messages that must be solved before proceeding. The action-filled, black-and-white cartoon illustrations add to the fun. Fans of the first book will welcome this new adventure.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
The second adventure of the National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society focuses on superspy Duncan "Gluestick" Dewey. When rogue NERD Simon, armed with a technology-controlling ray gun, neutralizes Gluestick's powers, he must dig deep to find the hero he can be without superpowers. This outlandishly humorous undertaking is enhanced by black-and-white illustrations and secret codes for readers to break.
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