Customer Reviews

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! This is the 1st book in a new series and all I can say is, "WOW!" My 8-year-old LOVES this book! He is a HUGE fan of realistic fiction and funny books. I have been struggling to find him books that meet these criteria. He loves the books about STINK (Judy Moody's brother), The Grosse Adventures, and the Boo books (About a secret agent), but they are not challenging reading for him anymore. He read one of the 39 Clues book, but they are not really funny. This book is perfect. There are between 1 and 3 words per page that he doesn't know, so he is learning new vocabulary and being challenged. And, it is funny! For example, one of the characters has 8 rows of teeth, 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. When he gets braces, they are highly magnetic and keep getting stuck to things. My son thinks this is hysterical! The story is "realistic" in that it is about a group of 5th graders who are nerds. Basically, this group of nerds is part of a CIA/FBI group that even the president doesn't know about. NERDS stands for National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society. Each kid has a special talent to contribute to solving mysteries. In this book, the problem is that Greenland has collided with Iceland (funny!) Presumably, in every book they will solve a different mystery or crack a different case. This book is probably for 4th - 6th graders, but as I said, I'm having trouble finding something for my 3rd grader. This fits the bill! He and I can't wait 'till the 2nd book comes out. I hope the author is a fast writer! We want to read as many of these as we can over the next 4 or so years! I highly recommend this book!

Update:

The 2nd N.E.R.D.S. book is due out September, 2010, See comment section of this review for link.

The 3rd N.E.R.D.S. book is due out September, 2011, See comment section of this review for link.

My son is now 10 and he is actively looking forward to the 3rd book!

I cannot say enough about this book. My 10 year old son just loved it. He read it in three sittings, could not put it down! It is a funny adventure while also having challenging vocabulary words. Another plus, there are graphics in this book!! It is great for reluctant readers. To the author I say..." Thank You, Thank You !!!" It has been very difficult to find all around great books for kids in this age group. He can't wait until the next book. I agree with the previous poster...I hope the author is a fast writer!!! I can see this book soaring to the top of the charts!!

Jackson Jones has the run of Nathan Hale Elementary School. As the star quarter back of the football team, he can do no wrong. He and his friends rule the school. That is until Jackson has to get braces. As if his magnetic head gear weren't bad enough, no one will talk to him.

That's when Jackson learns that his school is the headquarters for a super secret spy program made up of kids. Much to the other NERDS' dismay, he is asked to join their team. Can he get the hang of his new responsibilities in time to save the world?

This book may be aimed at kids, but I loved it. The obvious spoof references to James Bond and the spy genre in general will tickle adult's funny bones. Yet there is enough humor that the kids will get as well. While there is a lot that feels like set up for the rest of the series, it was all highly entertaining. I was never bored once while reading. Outside of Jackson, I never quite felt like the rest of the team stood out, although some of the other characters were memorable.

The book went by all too quickly, and I was sorry to finish it. I can hardly wait for the next adventure of the team.

N.E.R.D.S. is funny and entertaining and about a group of kids with special abilities who work together to save the world from the evil villain Doctor Jigsaw. The 5 members of the N.E.R.D.S. team are: Duncan Dewey, Codename: Gluestick. He's a paste-eater who can stick to walls. Ruby Peet, Codename: Pufferfish. Her allergies help her to detect danger and dishonesty. Heathcliff Hodges, Codename: Choppers. He can control minds with his buckteeth and is secretly the evil villain Simon. Julio Escala, Codename: Flinch. His hyperactivity gives him super speed and strength. Matilda Choi, Codename: Wheezer. Her inhalers enable her to fly and blast enemies. Jackson Jones, Codename: Braceface. He's the new recruit. His braces can project long arms that can form weapons. But he just cannot get over becoming a NERD.
The plot is that Dr. Jigsaw plans to move all the continents together to make Pangaea using a tractor beam, and then take over it. N.E.R.D.S. stands for National Espionage, Rescue, And Defense Society. Aside from the N.E.R.D.S. team themselves, there are some other people who are part of N.E.R.D.S. including: Agent Brand the director, Ms. Holiday is the librarian and briefer, The Lunch Lady is the Orbital Jet driver. And the scientists who create all the technology that the N.E.R.D.S. team uses.
The children's special abilities make the book very interesting. The special abilities are built around the characters weakness. The ability transforms the so-called weakness into an advantage, covering it up completely. Take Ruby Peet for example. Ruby suffers from the worst case of allergies in world history. After gaining her special abilities she could make her allergies work for her by letting her sense stuff like danger and betrayal. You can also take Jackson as an example. His flaw was that he had too many teeth, and the majority of them were in bad condition, so he had to get braces. Later in the book he got his ability, which allowed him to project long arms from his braces that could form weapons.
The kids may not appear smart or strong, so nobody expects the N.E.R.D.S. team to be secret agents capable of saving the world on a daily basis, and doing what the best of the best can't do. The kids in the N.E.R.D.S. team all have some special training that will help them in combat. But if that fails, they have to rely on their special abilities to defeat bad guys.
The kids came to realize that teamwork is important, no matter who you are working with. An example of good teamwork [And bad teamwork.] is when the N.E.R.D.S. team has to protect Dr. Badawi. The good teamwork is that Ruby and Matilda used Girl Scout cookies to draw the security guards away from their post so the rest of the N.E.R.D.S. team could get in the lab undetected. The bad teamwork was when Jackson decides to work alone to save Doctor Badawi, leaving his team behind. Because Jackson was alone, he got knocked out and the scientist was captured.
I can say that one of the lessons of the book was to never, ever, judge somebody by what they look like and only judge them by what they really are. Jackson made that mistake when he judged the N.E.R.D.S. team by what they looked like and not by what they really are and paid the price for it by not getting accepted by the N.E.R.D.S. team at first.

This book is hilarious. My son and I were cracking up the whole time we read it!

NERDS is about a team of nerds that save the world from danger. They all have really funny superpowers. They ride a rocket ship called The School bus to get where they want to go. Since the rocket ship broke close to the end of the story, they turned a regular school bus into a rocket.

The really funny parts of the book are the sensors that tell you what you have to do to keep reading the book. One of the sensors tell you to have your fingerprint. Another one tells you to put your elbow in your ear and put your elbow on the sensor. Two tell you to tape money to the sensor but it doesn't expect you to tape money on the sensor.

My son can't put this book down. He has read it 3 times and he keep saying each time is even better.

My son is 9 years old and even though both of his parents are readers, he hasn't up until this point been bitten by the bug. The only reading he would do was mandated reading by us or for school assignment. But he got this book at the book fair earlier this week and has barely put it down since. He has read more of this book in three days than he has of any other books combined over a three-week span. I felt compelled to come on Amazon and recommend it to any parents with a child 9-11 who is a reluctant reader!

Nerds by Michael Buckley

The class bully discovers that popularity can't conquer all. He joins a group, he perceives as less gifted, and discovers a new depth to his character. The entire time the group is fighting an attempt to literally restructure the world.

I am not the appropriate demographic for this book. However young in heart I might be, I'm not sure I can get all the way back to middle school. I suspect my 11 year old grandson is going to love this book. My guess is that Buckley nailed his target market. The trials and tribulations of being "different" in middle school are delved while being entertained with a astoundingly overblown Bondesque spy thriller. Images, scenarios and plots of preposterous nature seem to be highly appealing to this age group. They are able to suspend their connection to reality and dive into the base humor and broad gags. Sadly, I enjoyed the book which probably says something about my level of maturity.

I recommend the book and it may be of particular value to the reluctant reader.

Jackson Jones is living the life any 5th grader would like. He's popular,surrounded by friends,star of the Nathan Hale Elementary football team, and there are always nerds to bully nearby. Nevertheless, his life is turned upside down when, after an appointment with his dentist,he comes out with braces and a magnetic headgear. All his friends turn their backs on him, Jackson has to leave the football team, and, the worst part is,he becomes the shame of the athletic Jones family.

Jackson becomes miserable and lonely, and occupies his spare time spying on classmates and teachers. With his spying abilities, he discovers a huge secret about the nerds he used to torment. Heathcliff Hodges, Duncan Dewey,Ruby Peet,Julio Escala and Matilda Choi are actually secret agents, members of the National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society (N.E.R.D.S.),risking their lives to save the world every day, during school hours. Each of their nerdy traits has been turned into a weapon, giving them amazing skills. Jackson accidentally acquires that same technology,ends up with millions of nanobots in his braces,and is asked by the director of the team, Agent Brand, to join.

Jackson decides to join, but by and by he discovers that being a secret agent isn't an easy job. He has to struggle with schoolwork, missions, keeping secrets, saving the world from mad scientist Dr. Jigsaw, who wishes to reunite the continents into Pangea, and fighting off goons and henchmen, such as the Hyena, a twelve-year-old assassin. But the biggest challenge is to get the team to accept him as one of their own. He accomplishes all of this with the help of his teammates and family, but you will find how when you read the book.

Review by: Gabriela Ramos Tavarez