M Is for Mama's Boy

Gr 4—7—Imagine being a fifth grade superhero who is bullied at school. That's what the members of the National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (NERDS) must put up with to stay undercover. In the second book (Amulet Books, 2010) in the series by Michael Buckley, Duncan Dewey, known as Gluestick, and fellow members of the spy network are called back into action when a bank is mysteriously robbed by a villain with enormous buckteeth. It seems that Simon, a former agent gone bad, is once again threatening mankind. But this time, he has teamed up with a pudgy, 37-year-old computer genius, Captain Justice, who resides in the basement of his mother's house and really wants to be a superhero. Simon promises to help if Captain Justice will use his prodigious computer skills to disrupt the NERDS use of technology. Then Gluestick, whose superpower is sticking to walls, finds that the gooey substance oozing out of his skin no longer works. Things turn upside down and the NERDS must adapt or evil Simon and his minion will prevail. Zinging, tongue-in-cheek quips add charm to this fast-paced, action-packed, laugh-out-loud story line. Boys will especially be drawn in by the silliness of the characters. Johnny Heller offers an expert rendition of the animal voices. Have the book available so listeners can peruse the humorous cartoon illustrations.—Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL