Itch Rocks: The Further Adventures of an Element Hunter (Itch Series 32)

by Simon Mayo

Overview

Itchingham Lofte is back—and now he's the most protected boy in the world! After narrowly escaping the thugs from Greencorps and disposing of element 126, Itch and his family live under constant surveillance by England's famed MI5. But even these top agents may not be able to help him when enemies old and new scheme to get their hands on the super-radioactive rocks—even if they have to kill Itch to do it. Filled with danger, thrills, and some shocking surprises, this suspenseful sequel is every bit as exciting as the first! 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454905127
Publisher:	Splinter
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Series:	Itch Series , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Simon Mayo is one of Britain's best-loved radio DJs. He works for BBC Radio, and in 2008 he was recognized as the “radio broadcaster of the year” at the 34th annual Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and the “Speech Broadcaster of the Year” at the Sony Radio Academy Awards. Itch was his first novel. Simon lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—Mayo picks up the story of Itchingham Lofte just a few months after he has survived kidnapping by a psychopath and near-fatal levels of radiation. Cornish high-schooler "Itch," as he is known to all and sundry, managed to hide several samples of the heretofore unknown element 126 that has potential as a source of energy and a horrible weapon. Now he and his family are protected 24/7 by a team of MI5 agents and with good reason. Nathaniel Flowerdew, Itch's kidnapper, and Shivvi Tan Fook, Flowerdew's murderous associate, want 126, as do other criminal groups, and that means they need to trick or force the location from Itch. School is strange for Itch, his sister Chloe, and his cousin Jack, especially now that the formerly friendly Lucy Cavendish has become inexplicably cold and even vicious toward the trio. MI5 foils one kidnapping attempt but Itch and the girls are fooled into ducking their minders, and all three are captured. Shivvi coerces Itch to return to face element 126 at Woodingdean Well. Mayo carefully layers action with moments between family and friends to provide both adrenaline and a human side to the story. Itch, Chloe, and Jack are terrific characters who combine brains, heart, and will in a believable fashion. Regardless of their feelings about science, readers will cheer for these kids.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library Wisconsin Rapids

School Library Journal

. . . takes the reader through exciting chases, fight scenes, and explosions. Additionally, Itch's enthusiasm for chemistry imparts science facts to the narrative without coming off like a lecture . . .A sure hit for fans of the Alex Rider series, this sequel proves to be an action-packed read with a healthy dose of risk and an unhealthy dose of radiation.” —Booklist

 
"Mayo carefully layers action with moments between family and friends to provide both adrenaline and a human side to the story. Itch, Chloe, and Jack are terrific characters who combine brains, heart, and will in a believable fashion. Regardless of their feelings about science, readers will cheer for these kids.” —School Library Journal

 

Praise for Itch: 
 
"Mayo delivers a fun, frightening, gutsy adventure story populated by heroic young people who refuse to back down from their save-the-world mission . . . Fans of science will love its central role, and those readers who crave adrenalin will appreciate the view from the edge of their seats." —Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
 
“A great debut. You'll be itching to read more!” —Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider series
 
"[An] action-packed adventure with . . . appealing protagonists, and a premise derived from plausible scientific theory. Readers will never look at common household objects the same way again." —Publishers Weekly
 
“You'd have to work quite hard not to like Itchingham Lofte. . . amid the teenage intrigue and heart-in-mouth escapades there are sequin flashes of real science. . . the story [moves along] in a high-speed Hitchcockian manner...” —The Guardian

From the Publisher