Spy Toys
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Toy Story meets James Bond in this action-packed book that's perfect for young readers looking for humorous, illustrated middle-grade.
The world's leading toy manufacturer gives each toy it creates a tiny, computerized brain and a unique personality making for some seriously awesome toys. But sometimes there's a faulty toy . . .
Dan is a "Snugliffic Cuddlestar" bear--he should be perfect for hugging. But because of a malfunctioning chip, Dan is so strong he could crush a car. Thrown into the rejects pile, he meets Arabella, a "Loadsasmiles Sunshine" doll, who has a very short temper. Soon Dan, Arabella, and Flax (a custom-made police robot rabbit) are recruited by the head of the toy world exactly for what makes them unfit. And their first mission is a doozy: to protect a senator's eight-year-old son from being kidnapped.
With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this hilarious book has reluctant reader appeal written all over it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Comically inept characters, screwball plotting, and snarky dialogue fuel this adventure from newcomer Powers. At the Snaztacular Ultrafun toy factory, Dan (a teddy bear with a faulty snuggle chip that causes him to hug with kid-crushing strength) and Arabella (a rag doll whose crossed wires have left her "with the attitude of a bad-tempered rattlesnake") escape from the reject pile. Along with Flax, a police robot disguised as a rabbit, they are recruited as "Spy Toys" by the Department of Secret Affairs, an organization that prevents "horrible things from happening." Their assignment: protect a senator's son from being kidnapped by Rusty Flumptrunk, a cereal mascot turned criminal. Wesson's high-energy cartoons make the most of the toys-gone-wild premise (in one funny sequence, Dan, Arabella, and Flax test their skills against a trio of out-of-control toddlers), and the unlikely allies' near-constant bickering keeps the pace quick and the laughs coming. It's an entertaining riff on the idea that supposed faults can actually be assets, as well as the rewards of finding friends in surprising places. Ages 8 12.
