Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Maggie, 16, is the daughter of spies and a spy herself, and she is particularly genius at cracking safes. What she has never been is an average teenager. So when her assignment from the Collective the first she is doing on her own involves attending private school in Soho, she is all over it. Her job is to get friendly with rich boy Jesse Oliver, whose dad may publish findings that will blow the cover of the Collective and steal the dossier. She doesn't count on finding a crazy best friend, Roux, and developing feelings for Jesse, which makes milking him for information between kisses particularly icky. The connection between the revealing information and the Olivers is only a MacGuffin, but the mystery element does lead to an exciting, energetic, running-around-NYC ending. What's really great about this, though, are the voices. Maggie's smart and mostly sure first-person narrative is extended by the insights of bad, sad girl Roux and Maggie's elegant spy handler, the British forger Angelo. Even if you don't think you like spy stories, this one is fresh and fun.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Maggie is a safecracking prodigy and the only child of parents who work as spies for an organization called the Collective. When the family relocates to New York City, 16-year-old Maggie lands her first assignment: befriending Jesse, a cute private school boy, to gain access to the e-mail belonging to his magazine editor father, who is suspected to be planning a revealing story about the Collective. As Maggie assimilates into life as a regular teenager, making her first friend and having her first kiss (with Jesse), she wonders if she is cut out to be a spy. Benway (The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June) offers a rollicking take on the "spy kids" premise, buoyed by fun characters like Maggie's irrepressible friend Roux and a well-dressed mentor who is always ready to give Maggie sage advice-or helicopter in to save her. As is common in this genre, realism isn't exactly at the forefront (Maggie eventually draws her friends into the assignment), but readers will be sufficiently invested to see the mission through to completion. Ages 12-up. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Foundry Literary + Media. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-Maggie Silver is a plucky 17-year-old who travels the world with her parents who work for a super-secret espionage organization known as the Collective. Her father is a whiz with languages, her mother is an expert hacker, and Maggie specializes in cracking safes and picking locks. Due to her parents' clandestine careers, Maggie has evaded attending high school, but their latest assignment and Maggie's first solo job sends her into a New York City private school where she must befriend Jesse Oliver and blend in like any other teenager. Somewhat predictably, she falls for her target and a romance blossoms. The story's strongest and most interesting plot points revolve around Maggie's relationships with Jesse, her parents, and her new friend Roux rather than her identity as a spy. Teens will surely relate to the realistic characters and the situations that Maggie encounters and enjoy the humorous bits throughout (Jesse and Maggie's first date is particularly hilarious). Benway's narration of her novel (Walker, 2013) is excellent and moves at a fast pace. Fans of Ally Carter's "Gallagher Girls" series will definitely enjoy this audiobook. A great choice for libraries with teens who like their mysteries mixed with some mean girl drama and light-hearted romance.-Nicole Martin, Grafton-Midview Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Maggie, a sixteen-year-old safecracker and daughter of spies, finally gets a solo assignment: attend a private NYC high school and befriend classmate Jesse in order to gain access to his father's documents. It seems simple enough--until she falls for Jesse. Less action-packed than Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, this book will appeal to readers who like adventure with their romance. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
