Mickey and the Animal Spies

Mickey and the Animal Spies #1

by Anne Miller, Becka Moor (Illustrator)

Mickey is the type of kid who's always on the lookout for a code to crack. So it's her lucky day when she spots a strange poster on the bus home from school written completely in code. Within the strange jumble of letters is a curious message, one that leads to an exciting adventure-with diamond thieves, dognappers, and an extraordinary group of animal spies! This book contains real coded messages, can you crack the codes before Mickey does?

Genres: Childrens, Kids

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2020

Reviews

[Willemijn jufwillemijnopallstars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Op de achterkant is te lezen dat dit verhaal puzzels, avontuur en dieren bevat. En dat klopt helemaal. Mickey is vaak bezig met codes kraken, dat is haar hobby. Op een dag vindt ze dus een code in de bus en lost deze op. Op deze manier ontdekt ze een geheim genootschap. Het geheime genootschap kun je zien op de cover van het boek.

Deze spionnen hebben missies. En een van deze missies is nu dat ze een diamantroof moeten oplossen. Daar kunnen ze dit keer wel een mens bij gebruiken, dus Mickey mag proefdraaien bij het geheime genootschap. Natuurlijk loopt niet alles volgens plan, sommige leden willen zo snel mogelijk van Mickey af!

Deze middle grade is een heel fijn boek om te lezen voor kinderen vanaf 8 jaar en ouder. De vele grappige illustraties maken het een aantrekkelijk boek. Heel fijn vond ik dat niet alles mee zit met Mickey, maar ook dat ze haar problemen weer oplost. Kinderen kunnen hiervan leren. Hoewel ik me afvraag hoeveel kinderen bij een geheim genootschap zitten ;-).

Na het verhaal zitten er nog een aantal puzzels en codekrakers in het boek. Mickey en de beestachtige spionnen is een verhaal van net geen 200 pagina’s wat het ook aantrekkelijk maakt voor kinderen. Sommige kinderen schrikken weleens van de dikte van een boek. Het lettertype vind ik ook fijn om te lezen, tussen de woorden zit net even iets meer ruimte dan ik gewend ben in een boek.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl wonderful at solving codes, a secret animal group, and tons of fun adventures!

I picked up this book in the first place for the illustrations by Becka Moor. I am a giant fan of her art and I need all of them in my life. And then I also fell in love with the blurb. I love solving codes, I love secret spy stuff, and I love animals!

I am a bit tired, so I will list all that I loved:
-The animal group named Cobra with, as expected, a cobra as the lead person.
-I loved seeing what animals were in the group, like Tilda the sloth, or Bertie the giraffe (who was afraid of everything and I had such a laugh seeing him stand on that desk).
-The codes. I had fun breaking them before Mickey could do it. I didn't solve all of them as I was lying on my bed and didn't have any materials with me to write on. But most I just did out of my head and that was fun.
-The missions and their names. I agree with Mickey that they weren't that well fitted as anyone could guess what they are about. :P
-It was just so much fun seeing them go on the missions, try to infiltrate into events, and to find out the culprits. I had a laugh at how easily Mickey was able to get into the event in the beginning. Just shout a name many people have, it works I guess.
-The whodunnit. I had fun figuring it out and as soon as I knew who it had to be I wanted to know more about the whys and the hows.
-I guess animals talk in this world, but I would think that someone else would know about it? I wonder how many confused people are walking around thinking they heard Kitty or Waffles talk to them or to someone.
-I loved seeing Bertie's disguises and I seriously doubt people and their skills on seeing things around them. I mean Bertie is big enough that even if you dress him up he should stand out.
-The illustrations, they were wonderful again!
-The ending! It promises so much more fun adventures and I cannot wait! I definitely would love more books with codes, animals, and spy missions. See Mickey get better at spying, at codes, and see more agents in the field.
-I loved the birdmail and had a laugh that some birds had their ways to send mails (so in short don't send them by gulls unless you know the road is clear of food/distractions).

Things I am not sure about, not dislike but just unsure.
-How the parents apparently didn't care that their kid disappeared for hours or I should say, didn't even notice...? Or during the last part? I would definitely want to know who the kids are that my kid is going away with. Maybe me, but Mickey is what? 10? 11? Still a child and I would like to know that the people are OK to be with.
-How the group reacted when Mickey had a crucial information to share. I get that she is new, I get that the files said x, but you could at least take her more serious. It was just painful to read.

All in all, a wonderful, delightful, and humorous book that fits perfectly with what I needed at this moment. Something fun to distract me. And this book did. I read it in one go. I want more! I would highly recommend this one to everyone looking for a fun book with codes and animals and spying!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Vonprice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great new detective/spy fiction title for lower Key Stage 2 readers.
Read my full review here: https://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home...

[Κόκκινη Αλεπού · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αν ο Stephen Fry έχει διαβάσει τα βιβλία της Anne Miller και εγγυάται για την ποιότητά τους, τότε ποιοι είμαστε εμείς για να διαφωνίσουμε; Αν το επτάχρονο παιδί μας, μετά από τόση πίεση στο σχολείο κι έναν χρόνο χειρότερο και από καθημερινά βασανιστήρια με σούπα φακές και μπρόκολο για μεσημεριανό, πιάνει το βιβλιο της και δεν λέει να το αφησει, τότε η Anne Miller έχει κάνει κάτι πάρα πολύ καλό. Η Νίκι (Mickey στο πρωτότυπο) είναι ένα κορίτσι που αγαπάει τους κωδικούς, τα ζώα και τα μυστήρια. Κι όταν θα βρεθεί στον δρομο της ο πρώτος κώδικας που πρέπει να λύσει η ζωή της θα αλλάξει. Είναι έξυπνο, είναι γρήγορο, είναι αστείο, έχει δηλαδή όλα εκείνα τα στοιχεία που θα κάνει τα παιδιά να κολλήσουν.

Περισσότερα εδώ --> https://kokkinialepou.gr/i-ntetektiv-...

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
A fun little mystery with lots of animals and fab illustrations.

I really liked how the author brought in code-breaking and puzzles with the mystery. And I also liked how the animals had to try and disguise themselves to not get seen.

It took a while for the animals to actually be nice to Mickey though, but now they've accepted her onto the team book two should hopefully be better in that regard. It did all work in the story though and came together for a lovely ending. But I guess some readers might not like that the animals are so dismissive of her for a chunk of the book.

But I think other than that, it's a great mystery for young readers with some interesting choices for spy animals.

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really delightful mystery story perfect for aspiring spies, codebreakers and animal lovers! (7+)

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book but I like it.

[Sarah Ahmimed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book as Harry is an absolute traitor and dresses up as other people to throw the Animal Spies off the track but Mickey is too clever for that. She investigates the matter and discovers that Harry is all one person, attempting to steal the diamonds all for himself. Winston, a terrified dog, was scared for his famous owner, Zoey, but refused to tell the Animal Spies anything as he had also been threatened if he told any animals. However, Mickey soon found a way past this. She was not an animal and so was able to get useful information from the targeted pets' owners. Mickey excels at coding and decoding and so was able to cleverly decode some messages, one by a fierce cat that Mickey did not get along with very well. This was the address to the hidden diamonds. Mickey was doubtful as he had already betrayed them and joined Harry. However, the cat was pretending in order to get the true address of the diamonds. This was an extremely intelligent move as they managed to quickly retrieve the diamonds before Harry could get his hands on them. Harry was originally in the Animal Spies but then went against it and used the information that he knew about them to his own advantage. Winston, who was kidnapped, was quickly rescued and Zoey, his loving and adoring owner, rewarded them with VIP tickets to her next concert. Mickey invited the whole Animal Spy group and they watched, unnoticed.