Think inter-railing blended with the Da Vinci Code, written for a middle grade readership and you will have some idea of the content of this super-enjoyable, espionage adventure! Lindsay Littleson has written a (code) cracking mystery which follows three tween protagonists and their “teacher” on a whistle-stop tour of European cities, tracking down clues left behind by a missing MI6 operative. At just under 200 pages, this will enthral readers of 9+ who can participate in code-cracking to solve clues, thanks to a short guide to ciphers on the opening pages.
Samia, Ava and Francis (Frankie) have won their places on a tour of Europe through their entries to an essay writing competition and the story begins with them meeting up with their chaperone, Miss Watson, in Glasgow. Frankie and Samia immediately begin to suspect that something is amiss with the trip when they find themselves boarding a mysterious metro train which will take them to Paris, via London. Miss Watson’s odd behaviour, an outburst from train waitress Gabrielle and a scuffle in the corridor out side their bunk rooms during the night, heighten the sense that this is no ordinary school trip! When Miss Watson admits that she is in fact a spy and they are on the trail of cryptic clues left behind by a missing agent, Griff Fletcher, the children pool their skills to crack the clues and evade the neo-Nazi villains who trail them to each new city.
I found this book thoroughly enjoyable for many reasons. The child characters are fleshed out with distinctive personalities and all show character growth as they progress through the adventure. I particularly loved Frankie, a young carer to a mum with MS, who demonstrated the most chivalrous behaviour throughout; brave, kind and supportive to everyone. The fast-paced action is liberally sprinkled with geographic and historical details about the cities visited which would make this a lovely summer holiday read for children whose families might not be able to travel abroad this summer. As the famous Mason Cooley quote tells us:
Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.
Mason Cooley
Each time the young agents are en route to a new country, a short quiz appears before the chapter title, adding to the engagement with the story. Teachers, librarians and parents/carers might like to know that there are some fabulous resources available to download from the publisher Cranachan Books’ website, which include a spy’s guide to Europe and some reflective reading ideas. Finally, the action is thrilling, compelling and has some spine-tingling moments but at a level that is perfect for readers of 9 and above.
Euro Spies is a book which I know one of my own children would have loved and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a captivating mystery.
I am most grateful to Antonia Wilkinson and Cranachan Publishing for my review copy of Euro Spies which I will be passing on to a young reader to enjoy.
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