Dawn Undercover - Softcover

Anna Dale lives in Southampton, England, where she works part-time as a bookseller.

Grade 4-6–Dawn Buckle, 11, is so ordinary that even her parents frequently fail to notice her. This invisibility pays off when a top-secret spy organization called P.S.S.T. recruits her for an important rescue mission. She must learn the tools of the spy trade and then go undercover in a small English village to track down criminal mastermind Murdo Meek. Bumbling spies, numerous mishaps, and a jumble of acronyms–spy agencies called S.H.H., A.H.E.M., and C.O.O.E.E.–contribute to the story's light, humorous tone. The bad guys don't kill people; they just kidnap them, lock them up, exploit their phobias, or knock them off ladders. There is a large cast of colorful characters but, except for the protagonist, few are particularly well developed. The story also gets off to a slow start; the mission doesn't actually begin until almost halfway into the novel. Still, mystery lovers should enjoy following the clues and observing Dawn's development as she becomes more confident and self-assured. Plenty of challenging vocabulary will also make this a good choice for precocious readers who want a book without mature themes.–Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
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