Dawn Undercover [Paperback]

Anna Dale (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Dawn Buckle spends most of her days trying to get people to notice her, but whether at home or at school, it's as if she's invisible. And that's exactly what makes her the ideal recruit for S.H.H. (Strictly Hush Hush)--a secret intelligence agency. How the world's most forgettable girl transform herself into a world-class spy (and brings in a surprising double agent) makes for a rollicking read.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Dawn Buckle, 11, is so ordinary that even her parents frequently fail to notice her. This invisibility pays off when a top-secret spy organization called P.S.S.T. recruits her for an important rescue mission. She must learn the tools of the spy trade and then go undercover in a small English village to track down criminal mastermind Murdo Meek. Bumbling spies, numerous mishaps, and a jumble of acronyms–spy agencies called S.H.H., A.H.E.M., and C.O.O.E.E.–contribute to the story's light, humorous tone. The bad guys don't kill people; they just kidnap them, lock them up, exploit their phobias, or knock them off ladders. There is a large cast of colorful characters but, except for the protagonist, few are particularly well developed. The story also gets off to a slow start; the mission doesn't actually begin until almost halfway into the novel. Still, mystery lovers should enjoy following the clues and observing Dawn's development as she becomes more confident and self-assured. Plenty of challenging vocabulary will also make this a good choice for precocious readers who want a book without mature themes.–Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Who better to serve as a spy than a girl that no one ever notices? Eleven-year-old Dawn Buckle is virtually invisible to those around her, but she does catch the attention of a member of British agency S. H. H. (Strictly Hush-Hush) and is selected to serve as a child spy for the P. S. S. T. division (Pursuit of Scheming Spies and Traitors). Dawn and the agency's secretary are deployed to the village of Cherry Bently to locate a missing spy and an evil criminal, Murdo Meek. Dawn trades in her drab dress, including her trademark mushroom-colored socks, for a new wardrobe and a new name, but sneaks along one personal belonging, her beloved stuffed donkey, Clop, whose bravery and sacrifice aids the detective process, making him an endearing inanimate hero. The pacing drags in places, and readers will have to reconcile the young stuffed-animal-carrying protagonist with the sophisticated vocabulary and complicated plot jumps. Dawn's growth in self-esteem and confidence is believable, and the secondary characters are unique. Young mystery fans will also enjoy playing with the codes she employs. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599900025
• ISBN-13: 978-1599900025
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,609,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I like the idea of an 11-year-old girl being trained as a spy and saving the day, June 18, 2006

By 

Jennifer Robinson "Editor of Jen Robinson's B... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dawn Undercover (Hardcover)

Dawn Undercover features Dawn Buckle, an 11-year-old London girl who is so ordinary that people never notice her. Her own family seems scarcely aware of her existence. Her teacher doesn't even know her name. It's a big day when another kid notices her enough to ask to borrow her pencil sharpener. Dawn takes self-effacing to a whole new level. She's like the anti-cool girl.

It turns out, however, that being unobtrusive is exactly the right qualification for being a spy. Also, because no one else ever notices her, Dawn has plenty of time to notice details of the world around her. This is another excellent spy trait. A clandestine government agency called S.H.H. (Strictly Hush Hush) swoops in one day and hires Dawn for a special undercover project. Dawn's family (a bit Roald Dahl-esque, if you ask me) is completely unperturbed by having their 11-year-old go off to learn to be a spy, and sees her off cheerfully.

Dawn goes to work for a division of S.H.H. called P.S.S.T (Pursuit of Scheming Spies and Traitors), where she is trained in spying, gets some cool gizmos, gets a new name and identification documents, and goes undercover on a case. I personally thought that that the acronyms for the S.H.H. divisions were a bit too cute (there's also A.H.E.M., P.U.F.F., etc.). But kids might think that they're funny. Many of the spies also attended Clandestine College. The whole naming aspect reminds me a little bit of the Harry Potter books, but with far less subtlety.

Dawn Undercover has a distinctly British flavor, though not so much that it will be confusing to kids. There are references to lorries and nits and crisps, but they meaning should be clear from the context for most U.S. kids. Anna Dale lives in Southampton, England, and I like it that the publishers didn't edit all of the British terms from the American edition.

There were a couple of other things that I liked about the book. Dawn's relationship (and yes, you have to call it that) with her woolen donkey Clop is priceless. She infers advice from his positions and "expressions", and treats him as a trusted friend. I also loved the appendices to the book, with a key to the acronyms, a glossary, a key to Morse Code, and other useful spy info.

Overall, I thought that Dawn Undercover was a fun read. I didn't find it edge-of-my-seat riveting, but I didn't predict all of the twists at the end, either. And I do I like the idea of an 11-year-old girl being trained as a spy and saving the day. The book is likely to appeal to kids who feel ignored or unappreciated, but know deep down inside that they have some unique attribute that could make a difference.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 16th, 2006.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun-filled tale of mystery and adventure, December 15, 2005

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dawn Undercover (Hardcover)

Wouldn't you love to be a spy? Doesn't it sound so adventurous, so important, and most of all, like a whole lot of fun? That's exactly why 11-year-old Dawn Buckle is so thrilled to be selected as a child spy for the British spying organization, S.H.H. (Strictly Hush-Hush), in the P.S.S.T. division (Pursuit of Scheming Spies and Traitors). Dawn possesses the perfect qualities for a spy --- on most days people don't even notice her, and when they do, they forget about her almost instantly. Even her own classroom teacher couldn't remember her name. Why? Maybe it's because she's described as "timid, bland and nondescript" and wore "crumpled, baggy clothes and was never without a pair of mushroom-colored knee socks and battered gym shoes."

But when Dawn is chosen to go on a top-secret mission, she starts to get noticed for the first time in her life. Upon arriving at the P.S.S.T. headquarters, she is introduced to a quirky cast of spy-types who work hard to train her in the ins and outs of spying. She has to read books like KEEPING TO THE SHADOWS, and also must learn both spying terms and the Cumberbatch Alphabet --- a secret alphabet that spies use. Then, Dawn has to pass a spy exam. She passes, to both her and P.S.S.T.'s surprise, with flying colors. It seems that she has been made for spying and now will be put to the test on her first mission. The mission aims to track down a missing spy along with an evil criminal, Murdo Meek. Dawn is to travel to the small town of Cherry Bentley with an adult escort, Trudy, the spying headquarter's uptight secretary.

P.S.S.T. gives Dawn a whole new wardrobe plus a new name and identity for her spying mission. She's no longer drab Dawn in mushroom-colored knee socks. She's now Kitty Wilson, secret spy girl. Can Dawn put together the clues she finds in Cherry Bentley to outsmart Murdo Meek and save the missing spy along the way?

DAWN UNDERCOVER is a fun read filled with mystery and adventure --- all good things a spy novel should possess. The character of Dawn Buckle is highly likeable and the reader will feel good to see this once-drab girl start to shine. Though the book feels a bit long at points, the ending is highly satisfying. Young readers will also enjoy the glossary at the back of the book, which includes a list of acronyms, spying terms and the funny Cumberbatch Alphabet.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars dawn undercover, August 27, 2009

By 

J. Jacome "bookworm" (San Diego,CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dawn Undercover (Paperback)

I have borrowed this book many times from the library and after the fifth or sixth time I finally convinced myself to buy it. What I like about this book are the characters, Dawn, Red, Trudy, Felix(even though he was a bit tiresome)and Clop. I loved the realtionship between Clop and Dawn and I would read thier "conversations" again and again. I was shocked and sadden when Clop scarificed himself and totally felt Dawn's loss. I have read other books from Anna Dale and I liked them but this one has to be my favorite. I was hoping that Ms. Dale would write more about Dawn's adventures and was disspionted that she didn't.