Zeke Bartholomew

October 15, 2011
A geeky seventh grader's fantasies about becoming a "kick-butt spy" all come true when a new classmate clad in a business suit and mirror shades moves in next door. Intrigued by the advent of sneering, hypercool "Derek Lance," Zeke does the logical thing and sneaks out that night to go through his new neighbor's garbage-whereupon he's picked up by a carload of plug uglies who mistake him for Lance. Zeke is interrogated about codes for something called "SirEebro," attacked by a mutant fire monster whose veins run with lava, rescued by a hot (if sharp-tongued) teenaged operative from SNURP ("The Strategic National Underground Reconnaissance Project") named Sparrow and catapulted into a desperate effort to scotch the evil scheme of costumed mastermind Mr. Le Carré. This evildoer plans to enslave humanity from an underground fortress with sound waves buried in a music video. Pinter, a writer of adult thrillers, keeps the action cranked up to full speed, but the "spy" and "superhero" tropes mix uneasily, and the characters seem labored. Unfortunately, this applies most notably to Zeke, who paradoxically maps himself at length as the familiar scorned, nonathletic, typecast suburban nerd but then goes on to display not only bottomless reserves of cool-headed pluck but also a secret underground lab of his own filled with fantastic techno-spy inventions. Headlong fun (with at least one sequel on the way), but readers will really have to work hard to suspend disbelief. (Thriller. 11-13)

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Starred review from February 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Zeke is a seventh-grade nerd (with a love of all things Bond, James Bond) who invents gadgets. Nothing exciting ever happens to him until a case of mistaken identity causes him to be kidnapped instead of cool kid turned traitor, superspy Derek Lance. The bad guys can't keep resourceful Zeke down for long, though, especially when he is joined by girl superspy Agent Sparrow. The two fight to prevent Operation Songbird, the activation of a subliminal mind-control device disseminated via music video, from creating an army of kids under the control of the megalomaniac bad guy, Le Carre. There are mishaps, injuries, and some bickering between the professional, highly trained Sparrow and the amateur Zeke, but in the end, they build a relationship based on mutual respect. The action moves along at a brisk enough pace to keep even reluctant readers engaged. With the exception of the villains, who are stereotypically evil, Pinter's characters demonstrate an emotional depth that adds a realistic element to the over-the-top plot. If readers suspend disbelief and go along for the action-filled ride, they'll laugh, relate to, and root for Zeke. The bad guys are ultimately defeated, but Derek vows revenge and Zeke is sent off to spy training camp, so he'll be ready for the next adventure in the series. Encourage readers to pack their bags and be ready.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2011
Grades 5-7 Zeke Bartholomew dreams of having a more exciting life, and he gets one when he is mistaken for a spyand finds he must defeat an evil genius named Le Carr'. The oily and devious Le Carr' seeks to gain total control over billions of people through messages conveyed using a secret weapon. Luckily Zeke is assisted by Sparrow, a genuine kid agent who is at once beautiful, tough, and highly skilled. Together they overcome a robot army and a lava-infused monster (resolution, unsurprisingly, comes in the form of a massive explosion). Zeke's first-person narration and ample one-liners provide plenty of laughs in a novel that combines espionage, wild sci-fi, and a satiric take on the ever-growing kids-save-the-world subgenre. And while the diabolical Le Carr' escapes, it means there are more adventures for Zeke and Sparrow on the horizon. In fact, the last pages of the book feature the start of the coming episode. Fans of tongue-in-cheek spy thrillers will eagerly await the next installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)