The Spy Who Loved Ice Cream

Spy Penguins #2

by Sam Hay, Marek Jagucki (Illustrations)

Two young adventure-loving and gadget-obsessed penguins must prove their favorite uncle is innocent before the Frosty Bureau of Investigation locks him away forever!

Jackson and Quigley were this close to joining the FBI (Frosty Bureau of Investigation), until Jackson’s mom found out and they ended up scrubbing seagull poop instead. At least they have Uncle Bryn’s birthday party to look forward to. But when they get to the Ice Cream parlor, the FBI agents are acting strange. Instead of talking, Uncle Bryn and his friends just finish their glowing green ice cream, then jump into a waiting ice cream truck and disappear.

It's obvious that something has gone very, very wrong, and now Uncle Bryn is suspected of being a master thief! Can Jackson and Quigley solve the case before Uncle Bryn is locked away forever?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Humor, Friendship

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Audrey Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this out loud to our 5 year old and we had a blast.
However I never want to read the phrase “scratched his crest” again 🤣

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite good. This series is good for when you need a quick and simple read. I thought that it had a reasonably interesting premise and was well executed.

[Max Lingwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun story! Very unique and funny. I’d like to read the third one but can’t find it anywhere currently

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth and fifth grade readers are likely to enjoy the frosty fun amid a mystery to be found in this book, the second in a series featuring penguins. Jackson and Quigley are hopeful that they can join the Frosty Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI, but Jackson's mother won't allow it. Instead, they must settle for a smaller treat: a birthday party. But when they arrive at the ice cream parlor, they realize that something is seriously wrong with Uncle Bryn Rockflopper. While Uncle Bryn may not have been the best agent, surely he hasn't turned to a life of crime. The boys decide that it's up to them to absolve him of all charges, and if there is ice cream to be eaten along the way, so much the better. But what if the ice cream is at the root of Bryn's problems and all the thefts that are occurring in their town? I found this book entertaining and liked how Lily managed to make her own contributions even while the boys are somewhat dismissive of her and her little penguin charges. This one might not rise to the ranks of other classics, but it still made me smile at the friends' hijinks and determination to help Uncle Bryn. We all could use friends like them. The illustrations add more elements of humor to the storyline.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jackson's Uncle Bryn is sighted as part of a criminal gang robbing various places in town, Jackson and Quigley know that something weird is going on. Uncle Bryn is a serious FBI agent. He'd never go to the dark side. The two penguins have a strong suspicion it must have something to do with the glowing ice cream they saw Uncle Bryn eating with the rest of the criminal gang. Can they get to the bottom of this case without Jackson's mom grounding them until they are 100?

Another fun little spy adventure with Jackson and Quigley who bumble their way to answers with Quigley's dubious gadgets and Jackson's equally dubious spy skills. A nice little mystery for kids who are right between lower grade and middle grade books. I like that Jackson's mom makes sure they stay down to earth and don't get away with anything they shouldn't have been doing. Hand this to penguin lovers, spy fans, and super sleuths.

No content issues.

[Sammie Foltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recognize that as a teen, I am not in the age demographic that this book is intended for. Love the idea, dislike the execution. It definitely was written with the idea in my the younger kids don’t care as much about the actual characters and care much more about the exciting things happening in the story. As an aspiring author myself, I personally think that the characters having depth are far more important. If I were to ignore the age demographic, I would put this as put this at 2 stars but I know my 2nd grade sister enjoyed it so I will put it 3 stars. Definitely a cute book to listen to with younger kids, but not the best for teens and older if they’re looking for books with more meaning behind them.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some books written for kids are written by authors whose notion of writing for kids is that kids too need smart and clever books to read, and the authors, being smart and clever themselves, go ahead and write such books, and we, the adults reading them aloud to our wee ones, think, my goodness but this is in fact a very good book, even if it is about talking animals.

This is not that book. But the kid enjoyed it. So there's that.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss 5 listened to this as an audio book and thought it was really funny.

Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this over such a long stretch, with several breaks, that it's difficult for me to accurately rate/review this one. It's a cute series, and I think it would be very entertaining if it were made into a movie or tv series.

[Alex Herder · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine starter novel for kids with fun characters and a good (if predictable) plot. For 5-7 year-olds this is a good introduction to the novel as a form of storytelling. There's nothing particularly innovative about this book, but the author deserves a lot of credit for solid execution.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! This is the second book in the series. Our two little penguins want to join the FBI (Frosty Bureau Investigation) but mom stopped that…as we continue this story our gang is determined to help solve another crime!

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dexter (11yo) read.

[Chamisa]

Buddy read with my youngest son.

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Spy Penguins book and I liked it!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little story!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7 year old and I both agreed on a 4 star rating. Very cute kids series. Fun characters and storyline.

[RH Dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book by Sam Hay, this book is a classic