Ok, so before I start this review, I feel that I must declare that I absolutely loved the Who Let The Gods Out series and adore Maz Evans so I've been anticipating a new book from her for a while. Vi Spy: Licence To Chill dropped through the letter box earlier this week, just before the start of a live lesson so I was able to to do a 'live opening' with my class who were equally as excited as I was - they have good taste in books! Anyway, I have to say that, having read the book, I was most definitely not disappointed!
Valentine Day's mum is an ex-spy who has spent the past eleven years in retirement in order to protect her daughter from evil. However, on her wedding day to mild-mannered George Sprout (who also happens to be Vi's teacher), things don't go quite as expected when the husband she has told everybody is dead turns up! Not only is Robert Ford Vi's dad, he's also the second most evil villain on the planet! But why is he back now and can Vi and Easter really believe him when he says he's given up his life of crime? With as host of evil characters, the Neurotrol (a mind controlling device hidden inside a mobile phone) and waring parents, it's down to Vi to become a spy to save the world.
From the very beginning, this is a hilariously funny book and I was giggling from the first page (great for me, not so good for my husband who was reading a very serious book next to me!). Vi is just wonderful and her feisty manner will appeal to readers: she's headstrong and knows what she wants but certainly isn't perfect and it's this that I like about her - at times, she knows what she should do but then struggles with what she actually wants to do - it makes her real and relatable to readers.
I have to also mention the wider cast who are all perfectly crafted. In particular, Siren who made me laugh out loud (and spurt my tea everywhere!), Vi's Nan, Indy (Independence Day) who seems to relish leading Vi astray (the second part of chapter 9 in Autumn Leaves is one of my favourite moments of the book) and Russell Sprout (Vi's soon to be stepbrother) who has the world on his shoulders. They are a cast who are most definitely going to be readoutloudable (is that a word? It is now!) and I can't wait to tackle some of the accents!
And there are plenty of subtle 80s reference for the oldies reading the book like me! But be warned, the name of Russell's robot will leave you with an ear-worm for days if you were alive to know it (I've even been doing the actions much to my son's disgust!!!)
But for all the hilarity, this is a book of depth, tackling issues that many children experience - divorce, friendship and bullying are all expertly and seamlessly interwoven into the plot in a way that will make you want to hug the characters one minute and then laugh out loud in the next sentence. Maz is the queen of comedy writing and deserves all the awards that seem to inexplicably elude her - anybody who can help children understand and come to terms with big emotional issues whilst simultaneously making them laugh out loud is a writing goddess as far as I'm concerned. She did it expertly with the Who Let The Gods Out series (Against All Gods is the only book that has made me laugh out loud and ugly cry in one sitting!) and she's done it again with Vi Spy: Licence To Chill. Fast-paced, laugh out loud funny and utterly gripping, this is a guaranteed hit and a winner in my eyes - I can't wait for book 2!
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