Model Spy: The Specialists
by Shannon Greenland
Published by Puffin
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Reviewed by Connie Anderson
This middle reader/young adult book, Model Spy: The Specialists, is about the possibilities we all have to change, be accepted and find a place of importance in this world. Okay, it is also about teens serving their country, finding a "family of choice" because they don't have a real family, and about fitting in.
Kelly James had survived the plane crash that killed her parents, and then she had been passed from foster home to foster home.
Not yet 18, she is in college because she is so brilliant. She is a computer whiz--but a lonely one. Enter David, her older dorm resident advisor. He tells Kelly that he too is an orphan, and IF she would use her unique gift to hack into a government computer, he knows he will learn something important about his past.
He is irresistible, remember, and he has been SO nice to her--so she does, and gets caught and arrested. That's when the action begins. She is given a choice: serve a juvenile detention sentence--OR change her name, change her life and be a government spy.
Kelly joins other orphaned teens with unique skills (who also have been arrested) and will be trained as spies.
Kelly is not only brainy, she is tall and thin, and when an opportunity comes where her computer skills are vital, Kelly goes on assignment--as an "undercover model." Creating beauty from geek wasn't so easy, and that whole aspect is fun to read. And, they send David as part of her "spy cover."
What more could a girl want? You'll have to read this book to find out how successful Kelly was, how David's orphan status changes, and how important a mission she accomplished.
Kelly is a character you will root for because she is smart--and had been lonely and gawky, with no social skills. The idea of teens (specialists) serving their country is also unique, and Greenland convincingly writes their story.
For all young readers, I hope that Model Spy: The Specialists is the first of many in a series where someone finds beauty and value in every person--and sends them on a thrilling ride to something/somewhere.
Armchair Interviews says: HIGHLY recommend this book.
Author's Web site: http://www.ShannonGreenland.com