Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Review: Also Known As


Also Known As

 by Robin Benway


Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.


Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Robin Benway certainly does not disappoint in this laugh-out-loud adventure! I believe I loved Audrey, Wait! a tiny smidgen more, but then again I didn't expect AKA to outshine one of my favorite contemporaries.

This book is slightly similar to the Gallagher Girls series, although not really. Okay, maybe I'll back myself up and make more sense. The "spies" and tone are very similiar. Except the plot is totally different and a little more sophisticated. I think I may have liked it more than Gallagher Girls... and that is saying something. (Little Note: If you haven't read Gallagher Girls, you should!)

The characters are really sweet. And super funny. Not just Maggie (Who was amazing) but also her friends and family. I loved how each character had such a memoable personality.

This book was ridiculous. I mean this in a good way. Maggie is just plain quirky! I am so happy she wasn't another predictable, overused YA character. Also, some of the past spy expeditions Maggie mentions are pretty funny/ridiculous.

The synopsis mentions a lot about "Private School". I think this is bringing the focus off what most of the book is about. I mean I LOVED Maggie's experiences there. But, mostly, AKA is about making friends, afore mentioned ridiculous conversations, and learning what it means to be a spy!

Such a funny read!
4/5 bookcases

1 comment:

  1. Robin Benway seems to start to have creeped on to my favorite authors list. I mean, "Audrey, Wait" was pretty amazing. I will have to read this!

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