The Mac Undercover

Starred review from July 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-Barnett and Lowery bring the funny to the serious art of espionage in a perfect interplay of text and illustration. Barnett, known for his award-winning picture book collaborations with Jon Klassen (The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse; Sam and Dave Dig a Hole), slyly premises this "childhood memoir" by explaining how he works as an author, i.e. someone who gets to make stuff up. Young readers will not get too hung up on the ins and outs of truth vs. fiction as young Mac B., kid spy, ventures from his home in California to England to fulfill a secret mission for the Queen. Along the way, he loses his Game Boy on the plane, suspects the KGB, talks crumpets vs. cookies with her Majesty, teams up with Freddie the corgi, steals art from the Louvre, and learns he reached a higher score on SpyCraft than the King of France. Throughout, Barnett interweaves tidbits of global history fit for trivia lovers, while Lowery's comic-style images play a key role in the humor, from imagining why the Mona Lisa smiles, to depicting the Queen with goofy unicorn pajamas, and topping it off with an ending page bound to provoke giggles. VERDICT Told with a sense of nostalgia for 1980s history and pop culture, the silliness and originality of this book will hook young readers.-Jennifer Gibson, Keuka College, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2018
When the queen of England calls, you'd better answer the phone.Barnett takes his readers on a fun-filled ride across two continents in a mostly not-true adventure starring his childhood self. In this version, young child-of-the-1980s Mac is living in Castro Valley, California, when he receives a telephone call from the queen of England. The queen is missing some valuable treasure and needs Mac to retrieve it for her. While on the case, Mac travels across Europe in an attempt to find the thief and return the treasure to England. Barnett's tone throughout the story is humorous, lighthearted, and a little glib, and the over-the-top story is sure to appeal to many readers. The references to the 1980s will appeal to adults who are reading aloud but will likely require explanation for the humor to truly hit home with children. (Yes, American blue jeans were a big deal in Russia in the 1980s!) Lowery's illustrations, rendered in black, blue, and yellow, have an appropriately childlike look; due to both this stylistic choice and the book's overall cheeky tone, it's hard to tell whether the occasional inconsistency with the text and from illustration to illustration is intentional. There is no evident ethnic diversity in the background characters, a missed opportunity for some range in an otherwise white-only story.A few visual quibbles aside, an enjoyable romp that will leave readers salivating for the sequel. (Historical thriller. 8-10)

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July 9, 2018
“One minute you are just a kid. The next minute you are a secret agent for the Queen of England,” deadpans a boy named Mac, who narrates Barnett’s (The Terrible Two) riotous series debut as an adult recalling a 1980s childhood caper, insisting that the story is true. After receiving a call from the Queen tasking him with finding missing Crown Jewels, Mac flies to London. When he arrives at the Tower of London, the Queen suddenly appears, surrounded by a dozen corgis, and distills some British historical jargon, including “regicide” (“my least favorite type of ‘cide,’ ” the monarch quips) before outlining the case. Mac’s madcap quest takes him to Paris and Moscow, where he encounters the French president and a KGB officer before returning the stolen British heirloom and the Mona Lisa. Some unfortunate caricatures—French people portrayed as rude, Soviets yearning for American jeans—may detract from the narrative for some, but goofy, two-color pictures by Lowery (the Doodle Adventures series) ramp up the silliness of this adventure (kids will snicker at the sight of Mac flying home in his tighty-whities), which should snare even the most hesitant readers. Ages 7–10. Author’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

September 1, 2018
Before this tale of juvenile espionage properly begins, Barnett assures readers that when I was a kid, I was a spy?The story you are about to read is true. He then proceeds to spin an absurd yarn that concludes with an exchange of Mac's perfectly faded blue jeans to a KGB agent for a stolen royal spoon, the Mona Lisa, and a Nintendo Game Boy. This wacky resolution ends up feeling reasonable considering the plot: in the 1980s, a young Mac Barnett is called upon by the Queen of England to retrieve her stolen Coronation Spoon, leading him to France and eventually to the Soviet Union to face off against a relentless Cold War spy. The story breaks the fourth wall and blurs fact and fiction. Actual British, French, and Russian history is inserted into the narrative (often with the aside You can look that up ) alongside goofy characterizations of real-world leaders and silly action scenes (e.g., Mac escaping a headlock by licking his assailant's arm). Barnett's knack for both quirky situational humor and heartfelt sentiment work in tandem to create a balanced?while still outrageous?early-chapter-book caper. Lowery's frequent cartoony black, yellow, and blue spot illustrations are integral to the narrative, providing clues to eagle-eyed readers and enhancing the humor. Another episode of Mac's international intrigue is likely to follow, considering this story's cliffhanger conclusion. patrick gall

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2019
"When I was a kid, I was a spy... The story you are about to read is true," begins Barnett; he then spins an absurd yarn culminating in young Mac's face-off against a KGB agent. The story blurs fact and fiction, integrating actual history alongside goofy characterizations of real-world leaders and silly action scenes. Quirky situational humor, heartfelt sentiment, and frequent cartoony spot illustrations create a balanced (while still outrageous) early-chapter-book caper.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)