National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Nerds Book One)

Jackson Jones is on top of Nathan Hale Elementary. He's popular, has tons of friends, is the star of the football team, and he loves to torment nerds. But when a trip to the orthodontist leaves him with a brand new pair of braces and headgear, Jackson's popularity evaporates. Now Jackson spends his new amounts of free time hiding from his old friends and snooping around the school. These covert activities lead him into the secret lair of the National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (or NERDS for short). These children make up the nation's elite of secret agents. And they're all nerds! Jackson's been given the chance to become a super spy, but how will he ever work with a team of the very people he used to torment? If you're looking for a spy novel that's different from the same old, Michael Buckley delivers. The story is fast paced and exciting with just enough mystery to keep readers sustained through a slow beginning. The humorous situations that Jackson finds himself in are just the right balance to the somewhat serious schemes of the evil Dr. Jigsaw. This is sure to be a hit with both boy and girl readers, and even many adults too. Reviewed by Alyssa Feller

I've been a huge Michael Buckley fan since the first Sister's Grimm book, so I was excited/nervous to see him try something new. Fortunately he doesn't disappoint. Not only does he give readers a group of hilarious new characters and a fast paced plot, but the art design of the book is amazingly clever. There are tons of funny illustrations throughout, and the book talks to the reader before each major section, requiring security clearance in the form of saliva and booger samples, retinal scans--even bribery at one point in order to keep reading. Not a lot of books will make me laugh out loud--especially if I'm reading them in public (which I was in this case)--but I was cracking up the whole time. I've read about 200 books this year alone, and I can honestly say I haven't read or seen anything quite like this. If you or your kids like silly, laugh out loud funny books, then this is definitely the book to choose.

This book is hilarious. My son and I were cracking up the whole time we read it!

I cannot say enough about this book. My 10 year old son just loved it. He read it in three sittings, could not put it down! It is a funny adventure while also having challenging vocabulary words. Another plus, there are graphics in this book!! It is great for reluctant readers. To the author I say..." Thank You, Thank You !!!" It has been very difficult to find all around great books for kids in this age group. He can't wait until the next book. I agree with the previous poster...I hope the author is a fast writer!!! I can see this book soaring to the top of the charts!!

Wow! This is the 1st book in a new series and all I can say is, "WOW!" My 8-year-old LOVES this book! He is a HUGE fan of realistic fiction and funny books. I have been struggling to find him books that meet these criteria. He loves the books about STINK (Judy Moody's brother), The Grosse Adventures, and the Boo books (About a secret agent), but they are not challenging reading for him anymore. He read one of the 39 Clues book, but they are not really funny. This book is perfect. There are between 1 and 3 words per page that he doesn't know, so he is learning new vocabulary and being challenged. And, it is funny! For example, one of the characters has 8 rows of teeth, 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. When he gets braces, they are highly magnetic and keep getting stuck to things. My son thinks this is hysterical! The story is "realistic" in that it is about a group of 5th graders who are nerds. Basically, this group of nerds is part of a CIA/FBI group that even the president doesn't know about. NERDS stands for National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society. Each kid has a special talent to contribute to solving mysteries. In this book, the problem is that Greenland has collided with Iceland (funny!) Presumably, in every book they will solve a different mystery or crack a different case. This book is probably for 4th - 6th graders, but as I said, I'm having trouble finding something for my 3rd grader. This fits the bill! He and I can't wait 'till the 2nd book comes out. I hope the author is a fast writer! We want to read as many of these as we can over the next 4 or so years! I highly recommend this book! Update: The 2nd N.E.R.D.S. book is due out September, 2010, and available for pre-order now. See comment section of this review for link.