Nanny X Returns

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 8, 2015

Review

This is the second book in the Nanny X series. Ten-year-old Alison, eight-year-old Jake and baby Eliza begin this story in a confused state because Nanny X is back to help their family but she is acting like a normal nanny and not an agent from NAP (Nanny Action Patrol) that they know her to be. When grandmother breaks her leg during Zumba, their parents leave for the weekend, and the adventure begins as Nanny X puts on a fishing hat. The fishing trip in the Washington DC area is the cover Nanny X and her charges use to investigate a threat to the president about the national treasures being in jeopardy. Fish robots, computer snatching squirrels, Howard the chimp from the first adventure and special bugs are the gadgetry that keeps the investigation moving. Envision James bond in Nanny form, if you will. The action is wacky and the vocabulary is challenging. The layout may be overwhelming for some transitional readers due to the switching of each chapters narrative between Alison and Jake. The layout also has the author's acknowledgements as the first page the reader will encounter. Donnelly's clearly detailed map comes next, which provides foreshadowing for the story where it identifies where each event happens and a wordy table of contents follows the map.

Overall Book Score: good