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Overview
LISTEN UP PEOPLE, because we've got a problem here. It's time to get really worried, and by that I mean majorly concerned, about Kyle Parker. he used to be a cool guy. Okay, not the smartest kid at school or the best looking, but he could always hold his own. Until recently. Until he failed to notice that Lucinda (who, btw, is really hot) has been following him around for weeks. Or that a volleyball was coming straight for his face during gym. But can you blame him at a time like this?
In case you haven't heard, Kyle's mom kicked his dad out of the house. Why? Because of a book. Kyle's dad's book. The one he's been writing and can't get published. Which means he can't make any money. Which means he can't support his family. So it's the big D. Divorce. Unless Kyle can pull a fast one and fake out the most famous editor in New York City.
How?
By going undercover. Secret. Top secret. That's right. Kyle Parker is about to become his dad's secret agent. So pay attention because he's going to need all the help he can get.
With help from his friends, New York City high school student Kyle Parker sets out to save his parents' marriage by trying to get his father's novel published.
Synopsis
LISTEN UP PEOPLE, because we've got a problem here. It's time to get really worried, and by that I mean majorly concerned, about Kyle Parker. he used to be a cool guy. Okay, not the smartest kid at school or the best looking, but he could always hold his own. Until recently. Until he failed to notice that Lucinda (who, btw, is really hot) has been following him around for weeks. Or that a volleyball was coming straight for his face during gym. But can you blame him at a time like this?
In case you haven't heard, Kyle's mom kicked his dad out of the house. Why? Because of a book. Kyle's dad's book. The one he's been writing and can't get published. Which means he can't make any money. Which means he can't support his family. So it's the big D. Divorce. Unless Kyle can pull a fast one and fake out the most famous editor in New York City.
How?
By going undercover. Secret. Top secret. That's right. Kyle Parker is about to become his dad's secret agent. So pay attention because he's going to need all the help he can get.
Claire Rosser - KLIATT
Secret Agent is an amusing, offbeat story of an ingenious boy, Kyle, who figures out a way to keep his parents from getting a divorce. His mother is furious that his father has been working on a novel for years, without it being published—she can't take it any more and kicks him out. So Kyle and his small group of friends conspire to get the novel published by a major publishing house in NYC where they live—and in this way, save his parents' marriage. Instead of secret agent meaning a spy, in this case it means a secret literary agent. Kyle gets his first lead when he inadvertently discovers that the male owner of the dog he walks each afternoon is actually a most successful author writing romances under a female name. In a succession of bold, innovative actions, Kyle and his friends deceive, fool, and pretend their way to successfully getting Kyle's father's brilliant novel accepted for publication. This is a cooperative effort by two authors. The sentences are frequently short and the dialog catchy and quick. The book is being marketed to ages 10—12, even though the teenagers in the story are in high school. It's a good combination of easy to read but demanding some sophistication on the part of the reader (just to get many of the cultural references). It's light and funny too, with appeal to the middle school group. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Simon & Schuster, Atheneum, 231p., Ages 12 to 15.
Editorials
VOYA
High school student Kyle Parker becomes the "secret agent" in this story, but not the type the reader might presume. His parents are splitting up because Kyle's father has been writing, submitting, and rewriting the "great American novel" for six years. His mother, the reluctant breadwinner, finally kicks him out. Kyle secretly vows to act as a literary agent and get his dad's manuscript in front of a publisher. He enlists help from his circle of friends, which include a girl with a crush on him and two obnoxious male pals. They do some rudimentary Internet research and hatch a slapstick plot to filch a copy of the manuscript, get it onto a famous editor's desk, and get Mr. Parker's name on the lips of everyone involved. The girl proves to be quite resourceful, and the male pals put their unusual talents to good use. Their plan is thwarted by inevitable plot twists but by the final page, a happy ending is had by all. Teen readers might find the laid-back writing style acceptable; there are countless one word, run-on, or incomplete sentences and an invisible narrator's insertions of the "Yes, you read that right" variety. The dialogue and actions of the teens sometimes seem unrealistic and jump from elementary to sophisticated as dictated by the plot. Barring these distractions, the clever story is a quick read and a bit of fun. The debut co-authors are a television personality and an English teacher who might produce a sequel as some story lines remain unresolved. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Atheneum/S & S, 240p., Ages 11 to 15.—KevinBeach
Children's Literature
Clever, daring teens outwit the redoubtable New York book establishment and manage to convince the city's hottest editor that a much-rejected manuscript is best-seller material, worth a fortune. This is a thought that may amuse a lot of adult writers and professional book editors, but the emotional intensity this novel builds around its celebrity editor, publisher and a pseudonymous best-selling author may or may not resonate with kids reading the book. Happily, the story of Kyle Parker's quest to publish his dad's long-languishing novel, and thereby restore his parents' marriage, works as an engaging read for ages 10-14 because of its authentic characterization of Kyle and his friends working together adventurously and creatively to solve a problem. The authors capture both the spirit and dialogue of a group of young adolescents as they conspire, inspire, tease, misunderstand and accept each other's weaknesses and respect each other's strengths and experience romantic attractions for the first time. The strength of the writing is in the authors' often-delightful use of detailed descriptions of ordinary moments and objects to build dramatic tension; if there is a weakness, it is the choppy syntax, which detracts more than it adds to the book's strong voice. In The School Story, Andrew Clements used the idea of a kid posing as a literary agent to win New York publication for a classmate's book; Kyle Parker's story is for a slightly older audience, with more grown-up and growing-up twists thrown in, not to mention a few innovative tips for desperate authors. 2005, Atheneum, Ages 10 to 14.—J. H. Diehl
KLIATT
Secret Agent is an amusing, offbeat story of an ingenious boy, Kyle, who figures out a way to keep his parents from getting a divorce. His mother is furious that his father has been working on a novel for years, without it being published—she can't take it any more and kicks him out. So Kyle and his small group of friends conspire to get the novel published by a major publishing house in NYC where they live—and in this way, save his parents' marriage. Instead of secret agent meaning a spy, in this case it means a secret literary agent. Kyle gets his first lead when he inadvertently discovers that the male owner of the dog he walks each afternoon is actually a most successful author writing romances under a female name. In a succession of bold, innovative actions, Kyle and his friends deceive, fool, and pretend their way to successfully getting Kyle's father's brilliant novel accepted for publication. This is a cooperative effort by two authors. The sentences are frequently short and the dialog catchy and quick. The book is being marketed to ages 10—12, even though the teenagers in the story are in high school. It's a good combination of easy to read but demanding some sophistication on the part of the reader (just to get many of the cultural references). It's light and funny too, with appeal to the middle school group. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Simon & Schuster, Atheneum, 231p., Ages 12 to 15.—Claire Rosser