Frred

by Phineas Cricket

Nobody asked Kai Flynn if he wanted to be sent to America to live with an Air Force sergeant he’s never met. But after his peace activist grandmother checks herself into a mental hospital, there aren’t many options left for a free-spirited London boy. Adjusting to life in a military community isn’t easy for a peace-loving kid like Kai, and it’s not long before he and Sergeant Flynn are butting heads. But things start to look up when the sergeant takes an interest in Kai’s robot project for school. Then one day, without explanation, the sergeant goes missing, and the FBI shows up at school, asking questions. Now it’s up to Kai and his friends to uncover the truth, and to confront the sinister forces behind the sergeant’s disappearance.

212 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2024

About the author

Phineas Cricket is an indie writer based in New Mexico. He mainly writes for young people.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kai Flynn has been raised by his grandmother in England. When she checks herself into a care facility, he's shipped to the US to live with his dad who hasn't a clue about kids. Kai is free-spirited, a vegetarian with an accent who doesn't pledge allegiance to our flag which gets him in trouble with other kids in his class, especially those of Air Force officers who rank Kai's dad. Kai's father, Sergeant Flynn is a computer coder and helps his son with coding a robot that's a school science project. Then Kai's father disappears, and he receives a mysterious package with the initials Frred on it. Kai plugs them into his computer, and it becomes The Federal Rapid Response Electronic Defense, an autonomous warbot. Now Kai and his friends have to stop Frred who thinks of War as playing with other robots and find what's become of his dad.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in return for a review. The book was just ok to me. I felt that it moved quickly and jumped around. I have no clue how he met Carlos the first day of school, but yet the second day Carols was there. It was kind of far fetched to what occurred in the book. The book did keep you reading to find out what would happen to the characters next, but overall it was just an average read.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I read the back cover. I was pleasantly surprised with the story. I found it to be a very up to date book on kids these days and the military. I strongly recommend this book to 4-8 graders but no limited to them. It was a very enjoyable book with a lot of laughs, which I don't find in many books.

[Jjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book interesting from the beginning to the end - well written with characters that are easy to follow - surprises along the way - and the name FRRED was a mystery to me - a good family story.....

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a compelling, thoughtful and fun read!