Clayton Stone, At Your Service

by Ena Jones

Overview

Twelve-year-old Clayton Stone is shocked when a top-secret government organization recruits him as a decoy in a kidnapping sting. Instantly, he gets drawn into the dangerous world of covert operations. Clayton's new life is full of excitement, with elaborate disguises and classified debriefings, but soon enough there's a gun against his neck. Clayton's transformation from middle-school lacrosse star to Special Service agent is full of suspense, humor and heart -- a thrilling undercover debut!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823433896
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	07/20/2015
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ena Jones lives in North Carolina, where she cheers on her own lacrosse stars: her family. Clayton Stone, At Your Service is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2015
Gr 4–6—Clayton Stone is perfectly happy living his life as a mild-mannered 12-year-old lacrosse player, but finds he has a thirst for adventure when he is suddenly thrust into an underground world of intrigue and danger. It turns out that his sweet Gran, who runs a diner in DC, actually works for a top-secret government agency. When a series of kidnappings culminates in the capture of a senator's wife and daughter, Clayton is enlisted to ensnare the bad guys. Will he find the victims in time to make it to his lacrosse game? This exciting premise is misspent with flat characters and a confusing plot. The secret spy grandmother has the most potential for humor and interest and yet she barely appears in the second half of the book. Heavy-handed attempts at colloquialisms make the dialogue and Clayton's inner monologue seem forced. The mystery is disappointingly solved rather hastily and without much creativity. Additionally, there are moments when Clayton inexplicably chooses to drive a car and carry a gun, despite having training in neither. VERDICT A clever and action-promising premise may interest some reluctant readers, but clunky writing will confuse more than amuse.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2015-06-06
Thirty-six hours and one intercepted phone call from the president of the United States is all it takes for 12-year-old Clayton Stone to go from an average, lacrosse-playing seventh-grader to secret agent for the U.S. Special Service. It turns out that his knack for covert operations shouldn't come as a total surprise; as Clayton quickly discovers, it's in his blood. Not only were his parents and grandfather Special Service agents, but his grandmother, as Clayton is shocked to discover, once headed up the entire organization. Now, with a senator's wife and daughter kidnapped by the infamous "mall napper," the president has reinstated her as chief and asked Clayton to help them crack the case. Juggling his top-secret life against school and athletic responsibilities isn't easy, but it provides plenty of opportunities for action and fun. Though the mall-napper storyline is a bit thin, there are plenty of cool gadgets and action-packed predicaments to keep middle-grade readers entertained. However, what really makes this take on the kid-turned-spy story special is that it has a heart. At its core, this is a story about family. For Clayton, this means both the family he was born into and also his family of teammates. Clayton's endearing senses of loyalty to and responsibility for both family and friends is the undercurrent that gives this story depth and sets it apart from the rest. (Thriller. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

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