The Spies of Gerander

Gr 3–6—In The Secret of the Ginger Mice (Running Pr., 2012), Alex, Alice, and Alistair learn that their family actually hails from Gerander, which has long been oppressed by the nation of Souris. Furthermore, their parents, rather than having been killed in an accident, are alive, albeit in a Sourian prison. In this second installment, the triplets are determined to help Gerander fight for freedom, embarking on dangerous missions to aid the country's cause. Alex and Alice act as spies, and Alistair and his friend Tibby Rose—along with two adult operatives—attempt to rescue the triplets' parents. Weighing in at more than 300 pages, this is not a book for reluctant readers. Besides its length, there's also a robust cast and a plot that deals with the political machinations between Souris and Gerander. But patient readers will be rewarded-at the halfway mark, the pages start to fly. At this point, the young heroes and heroines narrowly escape death and capture in almost every chapter, and treacherous characters start to show their true colors, making for an extremely compelling and absorbing read. As with the first book, the ending has a fantastic catharsis, yet the conflict between Souris and Gerander isn't over yet. Though this may be a title that collects dust on the shelf, it certainly has the feel of a classic work of children's literature. Try hand-selling it to your best readers.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY