Review Lola Benko Treasure Hunter by Beth McMullen

 

Lola Benko travels the world with her archeologist dad. She's used to hopping around the globe with no place to call home. But when her dad mysteriously sends her to live with her great-aunt Irma and is thought to have died trying to recover his next artifact, Lola swears he's still alive. She will stop at nothing to find her father even if it means getting caught stealing expensive art from a rich mansion. But if she's to uncover the truth she'll have to trust kids her own age and she's used to doing things on her own.

Lola is a fantastic character, she's into STEM and likes to invent things and dives in head first often without a plan which makes her lovable even in her mistakes. Unfortunately Lola Benko didn't have the world travels and Indiana Jones style treasure hunts I expected but it did have a lot of heart and some fun and sometimes unexpected middle of the night adventures that often went sideways before the characters were able to get themselves out of the mess created. Lola's friends Hannah and Jin are believable and help level and challenge Lola as a character. And the ending had a nice wrap up while also opening the door for the sequel.

I recommend to all middle grade readers looking for a little adventure with a side of mischief and fun that doesn't always go according to plan.

ARC generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls Double Cross

 

Abby and her friends have entered into a prestigious Challenge to compete against other teams at Briar Academy. The winning team brings glory to their school and stakes claim as the best and the brightest. While there, they discover some mysterious activities that lead them on another spy filled adventure. In order to uncover the nefarious plans that lead back to their nemesis the Ghost, Abby and her friends will have to decide if they want to sacrifice the competition and all its glory to stop the notorious Ghost once and for all.

Reading this final installment of the Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls was like visiting with old friends. Toby, Izumi, Charolette, and Abby are at it again, and they reluctantly join forces with Poppy and Owen Elliot the other team from Smith to solve the mystery. Much like the previous two, Double Cross is a lot of fun filled with sarcasm, adventure, gadgets, and mischief. It's a blast to watch these characters get into trouble and figure out how they are going to get out of it. Even when the odds are stacked against them, they manage to work together and power through. I will miss this world and hanging with these characters and their fully formed personalities. Overall a great final wrap up to the series.

Review: Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls by Beth McMullen

When Abigail's mother tells her she's sending her to boarding school, Abby thinks she's being punished. When she finds out the school uniforms have little blue whales on the skirt, her life is over. But what Abby didn't expect was to learn her school is really a front for a secret spy ring that trains young girls. And, as one of the center's top spies, her mother is in on the whole thing. But when Abby's mom goes missing, the headmaster wants to use Abby as bait to find her mom. With little spy training, Abby faces one villain after the next, all in an effort to get her mom back. And something that seemed crazy at first, quickly becomes a game of life and death for Abby and her mom.

The voice of Abby is the first thing that grabbed me and reeled me into this story. Abby is such a fun character to follow around. But beyond the voice of the story is an adventure full of action and surprises that keeps the reader guessing at every turn. In addition, Abby has fantastic cast of supporting characters. There's everyone from her school friends who she has to lie to about becoming a spy, to the stern headmaster, to the nerdy boy Toby, who is a tech wizard and unlikely ally to Abby.

The story overall is great journey in learning who Abby can trust and how to power through new experiences in unconventional ways. Abby is such a strong character. She leaps off the page and into your heart. You can't help but want to be friends with her.

All in all, this story was so fun and engaging. I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put the book down, but I also didn't want it to end. This book was so amazing, I hope to see more stories with these characters in the future. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy action-packed, fast moving stories with butt kicking heroines and a small side of sass.

ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.