By Russell Ginns
Amazon rating: 5/5, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 4.30/5
Common Sense Media: Not Reviewed
4Rbooks: 5/6, grades 3-6
323 pages
Synopsis:
Uncle Paul has been found, but now Nipper, Samantha’s little brother is missing. Samantha has been hoping to spend more time with Uncle Paul, but the search for her brother must come first. She enlists two, maybe, someday friends, Lainey and Fiona to help her. Lainey is an expert on little brothers (even thought she doesn’t have one) and Fiona is an expert on almost everything, a master puzzle solver, and spent last summer on a detective train.
Samantha, Lainey, and Fiona set out to track Nipper down, while avoiding the CLOUD, led by the international “Rainbow Thief.” At the same time, Mrs. Spinner is with Buffy, driving a convoy of 18-wheelers full of the remnants from her Broadway play across country. Mr. Spinner and Uncle Paul are on their own adventure, which may or may not be an excuse to stay out of Samantha’s way.
There are numerous adventures throughout the US with new and interesting modes of travel. Has Missy Snodgrass finally gotten rid of Nipper forever, or will Samantha and her friends find him?
Parental Guidance: low
Some scenes of mild, cartoonish danger for the children.
Recommendation:
This is book 3 of the Samantha Spinner series. I enjoyed book 1 but felt book 2 was overly long and too much of the same thing. Book 3 was a nice comeback for the author and the story. While the story is still a variation on a theme (secret transportation tunnels, children being pursued by silly villains) the pace of the story is quicker, the transportation modes are unique and fun (almost feel possible), and the two new characters were welcome additions. I wasn’t sure about reading book 3 after finishing 2, but I can easily say that I’m looking forward to new adventures with Samantha and her family and friends to come in book 4.
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