NERDS: M is for Mama's Boy

The 4-star rating is an average of my 3-star rating and my boys' 5-star rating.

Killer squirrels, a 30-something comic book-obsessed loser who lives in his mother's basement, and, of course, another plan to take over the world. Buckley is definitely having fun with this series.

Over the top situations make this series a fun read. There's no logical explanation behind the bad guys reason to take over the world, it just is. He wouldn't be the bad guy if he was logical. Choppers is back and he wants revenge. Book one focused on Braceface, book two focuses on Duncan, aka Gluestick. When the enemies take the team offline, Gluestick has to "man-up" and realize that he doesn't need techonology to be a secret agent.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit since it took you into Gluestick's family dynamics. Out of all five agents, Gluestick's family is the only one that knows what Duncan is. Duncan's relationship with Benjamin, the Playground's computer, is also highlighted in this book since Duncan has an affinity for computers.

Author Michael Buckley's second adventure with the Nerds is a spy kids spoof ideal for reluctant readers out for thrills, gadgets and laughs. Led by Duncan "Gluestick" Dewey, the Nerds, a crack team of operatives whose weaknesses have become superstrengths, are bullied at school, but work on government missions from a secret headquarters in their school basement. They are called into action after a series of unusual bank heists are committed by Simon, a turncoat former member of the spy squad, who mesmerizes his victims. With the help of an evil adult mama's boy and computer genius, Simon strips the Nerds of their superskills in a humorous but fiendish plot which is peppered with lessons on cracking codes, ciphers, invisible ink show more messages, and action-filled black and white cartoon illustrations. show less

The NERDS are back in action. This time they must go up against one of their former members. Simon was sure the team would join him in taking revenge against those who bullied them. He was wrong. Now he is out to rule the world. In addition to his goon, he has a new partner. Captain Justice is willing to help Simon because Simon promised him super powers to become a real super hero. Then there is Captain Justice's crazy mother who wants power and prestige. Throw all of these characters together and you have a recipe for disaster. This book is fun for all adventure seekers and those reading this series.

This is N.E.R.D.S book 2. The 6th graders in this book are the governments top crime fighters. One of their teammates, simon, turned against them and tried to destroy the world in book one. He died. Or so they thought. He really survived and is up to more mischief. The N.E.R.D.S tean must stop him. But simon has a ray gun that can control machines, and their powers. The team must beat simon with their own heads.

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

5 nerds. 5 special powers. By day, they're picked on and are your regular, run-of-the-mill nerds. By afternoon, they become N.E.R.D.S., an elite group of super-spies who operate out of the school basement. Each team member's weakness gets turned into a superpower by an amazing computer.

Simon's braces turn into mechanical devices you can use for pretty much anything. Duncan Dewey's glue-eating ability makes him stick to walls. Ruby's allergies make it so that she can detect danger and dishonesty. Matilda's inhalers enables her to fly and blast enemies.

Their darkest moment, however, is at hand. When the supercomputer that grants them their powers gets nullified by an adult who works for Simon show more (Choppers), the team's arch-nemesis and former comrade, things get dangerous. Out for revenge against the super-spies, Simon is determined to use his mind-controlling powers to take over the world and finally give the NERDS the ultimate humiliation.

Can the five of them stop Simon without their superpowers - or are the world's inhabitants destined to become mindless zombies?

A great adventure for action and technology junkies. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is well-done and moves quickly. The gadgets are pretty cool, and the interactive nature of the book is done wonderfully. Those who like fantasy, adventure, awesome technology, superheroes, and spies will all enjoy reading M IS FOR MAMA'S BOY after they read NERDS. show less