Secret Agents Four

by Donald J. Sobol

Little did Ken and his buddies--Orv, Horseshoes, and Bo--know just how exciting their summer was to be. Instead of perfecting a few of Orv's earthshaking inventions (some of which even worked, sometimes), who would have pictured their joining forces with the good guys, Mongoose, in a heroic attempt to foil Cobra's latest nefarious plot? It is not long before V.A.C.U.U.M. (Volunteer Agents Crusading Unsteadily Under Mongoose) is officially born. Add one "Beautiful Assistant Gangbuster," Mary Evans (full title, V.A.C.U.U.M. B.A.G.), a modest fleet of vintage cars and a World War I De Havilland and the fun is about to begin. Donald J. Sobol, author of the popular Encyclopedia Brown books, tickles his reader's curiosity (and funny bone) in this hilarious tale of friendship, ingenuity, and smashing achievement.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Mystery, 2nd Grade

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Donald J. Sobol was an award-winning writer best known for his children's books, especially the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series. Mr. Sobol passed away in July of 2012.

Reviews

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp as teen friends get in the way of counter-espionage and then are repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to make up for their errors.

Ultimate Reading Challenge 50, item #33: read a book from (my) childhood.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't stray far at all from the dry wit and quaint '60s adventuring of Sobol's beloved "Encyclopedia Brown" books, which is a good thing. Funny that the enemy is a sinister global agency called Cobra. This seems to set up a series with these characters -- and like Brown, the main character's father is involved in law enforcement -- but as far as I know, this was a one-off thing. Fun, quick, nostalgic read.

[B. Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in my day...

When I was a teen, there were not the shelves and shelves of YA books that you see now. No edgy dystopian murder-fests. No angsty sex love triangles. If we wanted vampire (b)romances, we read Anne Rice. I ended up reading a lot of media tie-ins for adults (Star Wars, etc.), because there really were few options, and well, I loved Star Wars.

Anyways, in the 90's, there weren't a ton of books that were especially compelling for teens to read. I went into my school library looking for a James Bond book (not knowing who Ian Fleming even was) or something along those lines. In hindsight, I'm thinking Bond might have been a bit too salty for a 7th or 8th grader, maybe not. At any rate, what I found instead of 007 was this book.

I honestly don't recall much.

What I do recall is 4 t(w)eens thwarting the plan of some Blofeld wannabe who wanted to poison a water resvoir. There was a helicopter, as noted on the cover.

I guess I enjoyed it.

Skip your cash-grab teen James Bond stories (not written by Fleming) and read this instead. I don't know if it's better, but it's original.

[Gina Weibel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good secret-agent adventure book for the pre-teens. The main characters are four 16 y.o. boys...which is nice because they can drive (and fly a plane) which lends a lot more adventure to the story than you could get with a non-drivers. There are some guns and shooting involved, but no one DOES get shot, which keeps it on the pre-teen readability level.

My kiddos liked the many many young detective books on the market, so maybe I'll pull this one out for the next step.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Mullins knows the summer is off to a great start, when his buddy , Orv, blows up his newest invention. But he has no idea just how exciting and scary it's going to be for him and his three pals! This was was so hilarious and suspenseful; my older sister used to tell me about a funny boys book about some inventors, who's car blew just when they were in a hurry, and I was blessed to find a copy of it recently. Definintly a keeper!

[Rachel L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's fun... Ken and his friends get involved in "helping" Mongoose (the good guys) catch Cobra (the bad guys) before something awful happens to Miami. Orv's inventions and the fun writing style make this one memorable. Enjoyed it, though it's quite improbable. :)

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute classic, the kind of book where every word is a delight.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orv, Bo, Horseshoes and Ken are a group of boys in their middle teens that are interested in adventure. Together they form Volunteer Agents Crusading Unsteadily Under Mongoose or V. A. C. U. U. M. Mongoose is a governmental anti-espionage agency and there is an evil organization called Cobra that is operating in Florida, where the boys live. Their associate Mary is made an honorary member of their organization and she practices martial arts and knows all of the important exclamations.
Orv is a genius inventor and is capable of flying a plane, so the story has some elements of the Tom Swift boy inventor series. Given the evil organization that is well funded with a top-notch base of operations, there are many similarities to the James Bond series. Finally, the actions of the boys are similar to the Hardy Boys series of detective stories.
The story has the boys engaging in very dangerous actions, going beyond what most teen boy characters in adventure stories do. Even to the point where they are shooting people and directly engaging the evil organization. The story is entertaining, the boys often find themselves engaging in actions without a great deal of pre-planning.
This story is good clean adventure fun for the YA market. As long as the reader does not apply a filter of realism, this is a story that can be enjoyed. With the help of more traditional governmental agencies, the agents of V.A.C.U.U.M. solve the case and save south Florida.

[Lance Schonberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm rating this book years after the fact. Decades, really. Consider nostalgia a major factor.

I found the book stuck on a shelf when visiting my grandparents in the late 70s. It had belonged to my uncle, who's only 13 years old than I am, leftover from his teen years. During a two-week visit, I probably read the book half a dozen times. Over the next couple of years, I read it every time we visited.

And then one visit, it was gone. I was sad. But it was the late 70s and I was a kid. Eventually, I forgot, especially after our local library and my school library failed to have a copy for me to read again. Eventually, I remembered, but the Internet wasn't available to help me yet. By the time it was, I couldn't remember the title.

Now I have to find a copy.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sobol must have loved the Monkees TV show. And James Bond movies. Mix them together and add a pinch of The Butterfly Kid and you have this book. I have to admit I skim-read most of it because it was too silly even for me, even on a summer afternoon.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dated, but fun. The boys’ hijinx as they try to catch spies are pretty funny, and there’s some clever plot twists. I read it chapter by chapter at bedtime to my third grader, who said, “it was okay.” So, there you go.

[Roberto Galindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool violence, caught me off guard. But the plot was clever and the twists fun to get caught in. Fun group if kids. Some loops in the story and a fairly fast ending to close quickly. I like the short chapters.

[Anya Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE IT :)

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B-. fiction, middle grades, adventure, mystery, Mom's stash, keep.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick fun read that left me wanting a little more depth to the story and another adventure with the boys and Mary.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few really clever lines, but overall only ok. Then again, I’m not sure I’m the target audience.

[Nathaniel Irvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a paperback copy of this book years ago: I think it was originally purchased by one of my parents during it's original print run in the 70s. I recently purchased the Kindle version. It's a fun read, if a little silly. It's a quick read: I think I tore through the whole thing in an hour. The events of the story strain credibility a bit, but the prose is sharp, and the ideas are inventive.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books in the 5th & 6th grade. Recently re-read it to my son & daughter.

[RL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun spy story for kids who are around 13. If you can find it, the story is worth reading.

[Natalie Wilkinson]

2nd Lit, VP

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good in a kids spy novel kind of way. This book seemed to riff quite a bit on the james bond movies current at the time.