My Mum is a Spy!

At first glance, the dual authors of this book might seem an unusual combination; Andy McNab, best-known for his former SAS connections and more recently for writing numerous action thrillers, co-writing with Jess French, a nature lover, vet and environmentalist, now also presenting for CBeebies. However, they have clearly found the perfect mix of ingredients for what is both an exciting children’s espionage thriller and informative conservation tale. 

Idris is dreading the arrival of his Mum’s boyfriend David and his annoying daughter, Lucia, who are coming to stay for a week, especially when Lucia won’t stop insisting that Idris’s Mum is a SPY! Despite his best attempts at ignoring her, Lucia persists in presenting him with the evidence she has recorded in her special notebook. At first Idris refuses to believe anything she has to tell him, but eventually his own suspicions are raised when, after an eventful visit to the zoo to see the cage from where a pair of pangolins have been stolen, and a strange car journey home, his Mum disappears from their front doorstep. Idris and Lucia, accompanied by Philby the dog, suddenly find themselves caught up in an exciting, if sometimes scary, adventure involving secret tunnels, endangered animals and a very fast car.

The book has some lovely inclusive elements to it, with Lucia’s hearing disability and the wearing of her aid mentioned only in passing within the story, so it in no way defines her or seems to impede her daily life. This only serves to normalise it and will be something that encourages any hearing-impaired children enjoying the book. Some readers will hopefully also be able to identify with the two very different personalities of the children; Idris being far quieter and introverted, opposite Lucia’s bouncy, confidence and self-belief, but both having equally important roles to play in their solving of the mystery. 

Nathan Reed’s black and white drawings bring the characters wonderfully to life; I particularly loved meeting Budi the orangutan and also now know what a pangolin looks like!

The second book in this new series On Safari is due out next year and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what adventures the pair get up to next!