An action-packed page-turner with a heart. * Books for Keeps *
A rattling good adventure story for the nines-plus. * Caroline Franklin, Newbury Weekly News *
Intrepid Jazmin Dawson jets off to Prague on the trail of her mysterious missing mum. Never has a spook cared more about her wardrobe or her stomach. * Daily Mirror *
It didn't take long before I was...totally in love with Jazmin. So many issues get addressed in this action packed book. Cults, parent-daughter relationships, life of high flying business men, a little bit of a futuristic style with some of the houses, paranormal with angels, mild teen romance, life of spies and criminals. This is definitely one of those books I'll be raving about to friends for a while, and insisting people check it out. Definitely gets 10/10 from me! * Enduring Romance *
Jazmin Dawson's mother is a spy. When she goes missing Jazmin is catapulted into her dream world - at the centre of an international mystery in the historical city of Prague with a real part to play. The narrative cleverly blends the preoccupations of a teenage girl - weight loss, boyfriends, looks - with a sophisticated, materialistic future world of high technology and spiritual sterility. The environment provides the perfect breeding ground for those appearing to offer radical solutions - Jazmin's vulnerable cousin becomes a prisoner of a cult religious sect and a scientist revives the centuries-dead Lucifer, Lord of Light, by means of his own scientific invention. Jazmin finds her first love in a clown, Tonda, who makes her realise that physical appearance is irrelevant but a moral code is the basis of a meaningful friendship. Jazmin learns a great deal about herself, about the flaws in the world she inhabits - and about her mother's high-powered, dangerous career. This is an action-packed page-turner with a heart which goes some way to breaking the male action man stereotypical mould. * Books for Keeps *
Spy Girl is a new addition to the genre, we know and love. However, it doesn't simply follow the formula. It is told from an omni-present and yet very teen-aged perspective. Our main character is flawed: she can be jealous, tell lies, and can't just get any guy that she wants... Nevertheless, perhaps she is closer to the alter-ego she dreams about that she thinks. Spy Girl is stylishly written, with many a truism included, to amuse its target audience. It crosses the bridge between traditional action adventure (the junior spy story) and more female directed fiction, of friendships and relationships. This novel, either in an extract or its entirety, would serve as a useful text to explore both genre and writing style for upper KS2 and KS3 students, as a whole class or guided reading text. Similarly, it would make a valuable contribution to any class library, being both accessible and fast paced. * Write Away *
This is an exciting and fast-moving thriller for young secondary pupils. * School Library Journal *
