A review by ashleu
The Doublecross: And Other Skills I Learned as a Superspy, by Jackson Pearce
3.0
Originally posted here
Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. That is the easiest way to sum up this novel, it is so cute. Everyone in Hale’s family is a spy. It’s the family job and all that he knows. What his family doesn’t expect is him to be fat and made fun of on a daily basis. Part of me wishes that the big boned/fat part would have not been included, but that is in part because I’m personally sick of it being used as a plot device. But, I regress, because this was still an enjoyable novel.
Doublecross is the story of Hale who wants to be a field agent even though everyone tells him he is not meant for the field, as a big boned person. Although Hale isn’t the fastest, he is often the smartest. He uses his wits and smarts to often outthink his classmates which helps him come in first, but not gain many friends in the meantime. Then the worst happens: his parents, who are world famous super spies, disappear. This is understandably, a huge sadness to Hale and his nine-year-old sister who both adore their parents.
What made this story for me was not the plot (although that was helpful) but was the cast of characters. From Hale, to his sister, Kennedy, to Agent Otter, Hale’s personal nemesis, the characters are what made this story work for me. I was constantly flipping the pages because I wanted to know that the characters were going to be okay. Jackson made a fun middle grade novel about a spy school that is extremely relatable for a reader of any age.
Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. That is the easiest way to sum up this novel, it is so cute. Everyone in Hale’s family is a spy. It’s the family job and all that he knows. What his family doesn’t expect is him to be fat and made fun of on a daily basis. Part of me wishes that the big boned/fat part would have not been included, but that is in part because I’m personally sick of it being used as a plot device. But, I regress, because this was still an enjoyable novel.
Doublecross is the story of Hale who wants to be a field agent even though everyone tells him he is not meant for the field, as a big boned person. Although Hale isn’t the fastest, he is often the smartest. He uses his wits and smarts to often outthink his classmates which helps him come in first, but not gain many friends in the meantime. Then the worst happens: his parents, who are world famous super spies, disappear. This is understandably, a huge sadness to Hale and his nine-year-old sister who both adore their parents.
What made this story for me was not the plot (although that was helpful) but was the cast of characters. From Hale, to his sister, Kennedy, to Agent Otter, Hale’s personal nemesis, the characters are what made this story work for me. I was constantly flipping the pages because I wanted to know that the characters were going to be okay. Jackson made a fun middle grade novel about a spy school that is extremely relatable for a reader of any age.