The Villain Virus: NERDS, Book 4

Gr 4–6—The NERDS are back in Buckley's fourth installment (Amulet, 2012) of high octane, world-saving, superspy action. This time, hyperactive Flinch is asked to take the lead as a terrifying virus threatens to cover the Earth. Everyday people are turning into Super Villains complete with wacky names, crazy costumes, and wild plans to rule the world. The NERDS run from one disaster after another as more and more people contract the terrible virus. Finally, they make the horrifying discovery that the virus has originated from their own secret lair and is emanating from their former team member, Heathcliff Hodges. As the team begins to succumb to the virus, Flinch (who is immune) realizes he must be the one to stop it. With the help of a few remaining scientists, Flinch is shrunk to microscopic size and injected into Heathcliff in order to find and destroy the transmitter causing the trouble. Fighting white blood cells, dangerous nanobytes, and even his own team, Flinch powers on. Johnny Heller does a nice job of providing unique voices for the large cast of characters. His pacing is just right, capturing the tongue-in-cheek humor of the tale and never getting in the way of the action. Those new to the the series will quickly catch on to the premise and will want to catch up on earlier adventures, while fans will enjoy this episode.—Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT