Are you ready for some binge-reading this summer? Rohan recommends this trilogy by Chris Rylander for kids ages 9-12.
Codename Zero
A young boy in middle school named Carsen is a popular prankster, but then somebody gives him a secret package to deliver to Mr.Jensen. He thinks it is a practical prank. He says North Dakota is a boring place where everything is routine and he does pranks to get some laughs every now and then. But when he gets the package his life turns upside down. He runs into a problem, there are 2, Mr. Jensens, in his school. He opens the package even though he is told not to. Then he realizes it is a ticking time bomb. For the next 48 hours, he struggles to keep the bomb from other people and giving hints to the 2 Jensens about a package. When he gives the package to one of the Jensens he realizes it is actually the other one. The next day he is greeted by both Jensens and realizes they are both agents. He is taken to their secret base that is under the school. He is accepted as an agent, Agent Zero, and given a top-secret mission. This is the first book in a series of 3. It will keep u engaged and the plot carries on to the next book.
Countdown Zero
I enjoyed it because it is a thriller book with humor. This is the second book in the series of Codename Zero. It was like any other day in North Dakota. Carson and his friends, Danielle and Dillon, were planning the ultimate prank, Prankocalypse. This needed much manpower so they brought along Zack, Ethan, Katie, Adie, and their newest friend Jake. The plan was to do as many pranks as humanly possible in the amount of time they had. They were especially careful because there was a field trip coming up to Mount Rushmore and if any of them got caught they would not be allowed to go. The next day during lunch at school he got a note saying Agent 19, or Mr. Jensen only had 72 hours to live and to meet at the school track. He got filled in on the mission that there was a chemical leak at the hidden Agency factory located in Thomas Jefferson’s head at Mount Rushmore. Along with Agent Blue who was the other Mr. Jensen as a chaperone, he got the briefing for his mission at 11:30 at night the next day while they were camping out near Mount Rushmore. The plan was for Mr. Jensen to create a distraction when they were near the faces and then Carson would run so nobody would notice. That’s exactly what he did. As he reached the top, he slipped but somebody grabbed his hand. Jake. He saw Carson coming up and went on another trail that got him there quicker. Carson had no choice but to blow his cover. As both of them followed the plan and got to Agent 19 in time to save him, Jake betrayed Carson and locked him up as well. Agent 19 didn’t know if a backup was coming so he activated the self-destruct sequence. Now they were locked in a room with 22 minutes before self-destruction.
Crisis Zero
Principal Gomez was randomly been taken by the National Security Bureau. A new principal has come and her name is Ms. Pullman she tells Carson that from that day on he has a clear record. She did say that if he did any pranks again she would be much harsher. After the Agency realized Jake was an enemy agent, they knew there must have been another agent in the school either teacher or student. So that’s how Carson’s first mission with the new principal began. He made a list along with Danielle or Agent Atlas who was his new partner, of many teachers and students who seemed suspicious. As they checked off each person, they came across one that was suspicious, Junior. Carson saw him putting a glass of booze after school on Mr. Jensen’s desk to frame him. Carson told the Agency about this and they caught Junior. They interrogated him and he told them something very surprising. He was being paid by…Dillon. Dillon was Carson’s best friend and was a secret agent under Mule Medlock.