Hero in Disguise

Gr 3–6—Rune Drexler is back in this witty, silly addition to the series. His year starts off in a grand fashion when a new student, Dodge, is assigned as his roommate. Dodge takes a dramatic interest in Rune's father, the school's headmaster, and his crystal ball. After he executes a daredevil stunt to break into the girls' dorm, the crystal ball turns up missing. Rune and his friends soon find out that Dodge is a spy from the Hero School, sent to get the crystal ball in an attempt to eventually take over the world. In keeping with the role reversal of heroes acting like villains, the villains decide that they want to take the object back and foil the heroes' evil plot. The story is a bit clichéd at times with the stereotypical warlock, werewolf, and vampire characters, but Sanders's well-crafted writing provides excellent comic relief and unexpected growth from these stock characters. The action and humor take center stage, but there is also a romance element for those looking for a little love. Enjoyable but forgettable, this is a quick-paced read that will be appreciated by those who love antiheros but aren't quite ready for Cadel Piggott from Catherine Jinks's Evil Genius (Harcourt, 2007) or even Artemis from Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series. (Disney/Hyperion).—Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library, ME