I really enjoy Bruce Coville novels. This man knows how to write for youngsters. He doesn't write down to them, he challenges them, but manages to keep it within their own reading ability. I just finished reading this aloud to my boys at bedtime. As one might expect, they love the action and adventure, giggle still at the humor, and totally wish they were part of the gang of kids. Everything you want in a book for young boys. The book reminds me of the classic Tom Swift, or Tom Corbett, or Hardy Boys types of books, with modern theme and plot and characters. My one complaint would be that there isn't a true conclusion to the book. There is an obvious need for at least a second book (it's billed as a trilogy) since only one of the criminals involved was apprehended. I suppose, like those other classics series' that I just mentioned, in which the villian often got away to be the heroes' foil another time, this book is simply following suit. However, I do dislike what is to me a ploy to sell more books. Even so, like nearly any Bruce Coville book I read, this is highly recommended.
