ENEMY SPY (Shredderman #4)
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Knopf
ISBN: 0375823549
Ages 8-12
192 pages

• Read an Excerpt

Nolan Byrd is a nerd. By his own admission. But he also is a cyberspace superhero named Shredderman. His website, Shredderman.com, stands for truth and justice. Only his parents and his bouncer sidekick, Mr. Green, are aware of his secret identity. No one in Nolan's elementary school would dream that Nolan is also their hero. On his website, Shredderman does good works. For example, when Bubba Bixby beats up other children, Shredderman writes about it on his site for all of cyberspace to see. After Bubba has been "shredded," he stops picking on others. Well, almost.

The kids at Nolan's school and their parents begin talking about Shredderman --- so much so that a local reporter named Chatty Adams and others are dying to find out who Shredderman really is. News stories about the superhero start appearing on local television. Nolan's parents ask him, as Shredderman, to lay low for a while. But Nolan believes that truth and justice can never be put on hold, under any circumstances.

So when Nolan gets himself lost and accidentally witnesses some spies exchanging stolen secret information for $100,000, he stealthily photographs the transaction and sends an email to the police as Shredderman detailing what he has seen.

But instead of arresting the spies, the police first arrest Nolan's parents and Mr. Green! When Nolan tries to tell Chatty Adams to stop saying that his parents are spies, she turns quite nasty and yells at Nolan and his schoolmates.

Can Nolan figure out a way to get his parents and sidekick out of jail --- and settle the score with Chatty Adams --- without having to give up his secret identity? You won't want to miss the exciting turns of events in Wendelin Van Draanen's fourth Shredderman adventure.

   --- Reviewed by Robert Oksner

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