You might recognize the formula: A group of four, young, unexpected animal ninjas, each with defining character traits and a role in the group, directed by a wise, old master. They must constantly--and secretly--protect the world from an evil human who schemes of world domination, the Ringmaster, who leads a circus and commands henchmen like the two clowns that will have you literally dying from laughter, Sheffield and Grimsby, Doris the Dancing Dog (trained in the ways of the tango, the foxtrot, the quickstep, and lethal combat), and seven high-flying siblings from Austria, the Family Von Trapeze.
I was worried going into this read that the series would be derivative, trend-grabbing junk, and, while that's perhaps true on the most superficial level, Jones takes the ideas and turns them into fun while making them his own. I was highly entertained and consistently tickled by his brand of silliness that's right up my alley--and, I'm sure, right up the alley of a great many young readers. I love the fact that I get to cram in lots of jokes and puns, fast action, and crazy outlandish plots, says Jones of writing the series in his interview at the back of the book, and he is quite successful in my eyes.
I'll be recommending these widely from now on and grabbing the other volumes the next time I want a little escapist fun.
I was hooked by the opening paragraphs, enjoyed the constant wordplay and puns, and confirmed my liking for Jones in his interview answers:
From the outside, the Clan of the Scorpion's secret base looked like one of a number of meerkat burrows in the Red Desert. But while some of the neighboring meerkats had welcomed wildlife documentary makers into their homes, the Clan had to be more careful about who they let in.
You see, film crews do not expect to find a central chamber filled with fighting staffs, swords, throwing stars, nunchucks, and a whole range of other gadgets at the heart of a meerkat burrow.
So the Clan kept nosy filmmakers at arm's length for fear of their true identity being revealed. . . . Actually, further than that, as a meerkat's arm is hardly very long at all.
---
"So we just sit around and do nothing?" grumbled Jet.
"Jet, like a pop singer considering a new career, you need to learn that sometimes it is better not to act," said Chuck. "No more impetuous behavior." . . .
"Jet is a talented ninja, but he is too much like a trainee doctor," said Chuck, as they took cover behind the car.
"In what way?" asked Donnie.
"He has much to learn about patience," replied Chuck, with a wry smile.
---
As a young person, who did you look up to most?
My mom and dad, Prince, Michael Jackson, all of Monty Python, and Stephen Fry.