Review Blog

Feb 03 2010

Agent Alfie: Licence to fish by Justin Richards

HarperCollins Children's Books, 2009.
(Age 7+) Alfie is a student at Thunder Raker Manor, a school for children whose parents are spies or secret agents. Alfie's a bit different though - his dad's just a postman. The students learn all the regular school subjects, as well as Special Agent Training subjects including surveillance, code-breaking and sabotage. So it seems a bit odd to Alfie when a new class is announced - fishing. The students head along to their first lesson, and Alfie immediately begins to suspect that the evil organisation SPUD might be hatching a new plan. His suspicions are confirmed when he spots a giant rubber duck and a metallic sea monster swimming in the school lake.
This is the second Agent Alfie book after Thunder Raker (2008), with a third, Sorted, also released in 2009. With a fast-moving plot and packed full of puns, it is a very enjoyable read.
Donella Reed