Very funny and exciting book with lots of animal facts that I think children will love. I'm hoping they'll be more of these.

Imagine someone saying your mum is a spy when she works in a paper clip factory? When Idris goes to the zoo and some animals are missing is his mum a spy of us he imagining it?

I really enjoyed this book and my 8 year old would have too. It’s written for younger readers and he would have managed this one by himself. I enjoyed the plot - filled with action and the ending was good too. I’ve read adult books by this author but I’ve never read a childrens book before. But it was a good one.

This book is bursting with an exciting energy. This is absolutely terrific for children reading chapter books in the middle grade set. First of all, the illustrations are fun and look visually great, the layout of the text is also fun, making it easy for any child to get their teeth into. There’s also the curious question of whether Idris’s mum is a spy or not and Idris, initially with an eye-popping list, exploding off the page to catch any child’s eye as to why his mum isn’t a spy…. Something that readers will have fun exploring and figuring out who is right - Idris or Lucia.

Lucia’s love of spying really shines through when the news reporter announces the theft of pangolins from the zoo. Pangolins are described well in the book for kids. Readers can explore the zoo, meeting all the great and cute animals, all looked after well in large enclosures as Idris sees the good work zoos do. There’s even a map!
There is also a part that shows a fake palm oil plantation. Older readers may make the connection of palm oil and the depletion of forests and habitats.

The characters are written well. Lucia with her obsessions and imagination - this year it is spies and the slightly more serious Idris and his mum…. who goes mysteriously missing.

Between the adventure and mystery to solve from the zoo, the mild trepidation and danger and the question of Idris’s mum, this is an absolutely brilliantly entertaining fast-paced book.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

some mums are moany and some are whimsical.
This mum is super bad ass! she plays it cool but Idris knows something different.
This is a great light hearted funny book.

Olimpia enjoyed this book quite a lot. The zoo setting and so many animal facts along with the good/bad type of people intertwined with the humours, were a perfect mix for the story overall.
We had to look up some of the facts about zoos and some animals because it felt a big unbelievable but they turned out to be real and that’s a big deal for her.
The illustrations are beautiful and the story itself is one that many readers, big and small will enjoy. At least we have and we’re looking forward to more in the future.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for our review copy

Review to come August 5th to blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just couldn't let this book go. Spies? Love it! Zoos/animals? Sign me up! Nathan Reed illustrating? UM YES YES YES! And I am very glad that I read this book because it was tons of fun! I laughed, I cheered, and yes, I was also frustrated (more on that in a bit). This will be a good/eh review, because I am just so tired and I have been meaning to write a review since June 29th (and it is now July 4th). My body is just so so tired all the time.

😍Loved that it took place in a zoo and that we got to see some fun things at the zoo!
😍Loved all the animal facts. Haha, I could relate to Idris, well at least partially. I know when I was around his age I had a time that I was obsessed with animals and facts. Still read a lot about animals, but it isn't as dedicated as back then. Haha.
😍The spy stuff (not Lucia though) was pretty fun.
😍The illustrations were just fantastic and I really enjoyed them!
😍I loved that these two families had gotten together and that they were having such a good time together. Making meals. Helping each other (well OK, Lucia can learn a lot).
😍The later parts got very exciting and I loved the cute animals.
😍The villain was well written, and sorry, I just want her car. :P
😍What is going on with Budi, I would also be off my food and get a lot less cheerful if that kept happening.
😍The cover.
😍The title. It was the one thing that attracted me to the book.

🤨It just felt like the writers themselves were pushing the whole zoos are bad agenda. I am glad Idris learned that zoos are good. OK, maybe not all of them, but most are trying their best to help the animals. To make sure they are happy. To make sure the species continues to live. Yes, it may not be the best place, but what do you want to do then? Just let them go extinct?

😒I am sorry Lucia. I don't like you. I think she goes WAY too far in her obsession with things. We learn that each summer she apparently goes bonkers about a theme and bites into it. Like the time she was totally into cars. But this year she is into spies and doesn't give a hoot's ass about anyone's feelings in the progress. And that bothered me. It is fantastic if you are enthusiastic about a topic and fantastic if you dive well into it. But it is a whole different story when you target the only parent of your stepbrother and just go on and on and on about it while he tries to ask you to stop. To not go there. To just leave it. To not push. I mean, Idris, the stepbrother and our MC, was just not happy in the book. The whole OMG YOUR MOM IS A SPY just made him sad, and I just wanted to give him a hug. Even later when mom gets kidnapped. Instead of Lucia being there a bit more for Idris, she just pushes on, totally obsessing about the tin and what it held. Sure, she got him some cookies and something to drink because she FINALLY noticed that he wasn't doing well, but before that and right immediately after that? She kept on going on and on and on, while her stepbrother was 1) done with it all and 2) his mom just got freaking KIDNAPPED 3) there are some revelations that shocked him. I just found her incredibly rude and I think she should consider other people's feelings for once. If someone says NO. Or Hey, quit it. Then stop. Go on in your own time, but don't bother anyone with it then.
😒 The complete 180 at the end which just felt like, oh we want to write more stories with these characters but we can't when they are x, so here we go. I just didn't feel it. Especially with how that character was so opposed to it all until right before that question. It just felt off.

Sadly, these two points were what made me rate the book lower. Lucia is a huge part of the book, almost a second MC, and so having one so annoying and blatantly not caring was just not my cup of tea.

All in all, I did have fun with the book, but I won't be continuing with the series.