The Forgotten Five 2 – The Invisible Spy

Lisa McMann's The Invisible Spy is the second Forgotten Five book, a superpowered adventure for 10 year olds that starts the morning after a daring prison break.

What happens

The five are the children of supernatural criminals, raised in a hidden hideout far from anyone. There's Birdie, who can talk to animals. Tenner, who sees in the dark. Seven, whose skin works like camouflage. Brix, who bounces. And Cabot, who remembers everything she sees.

Last night they broke Elena, the mum of Birdie and Brix, out of the palace dungeon. Now President Fuerte's guards are all over the city of Estero looking for them.

So the whole group goes underground. Literally! An old journal leads them to a trapdoor hidden in a park. Beneath it are ancient tunnels, with a stream running alongside and a secret exit disguised as a gravestone.

Meanwhile the president is up to something very odd. He's spent years turning everyone against supernatural people. So why has he been flying abroad at night with some of the kids' own parents, stealing treasures from other countries?

Your reader joins mid-adventure, but the first few chapters catch you up nicely.

What makes it such fun is the group itself. They squabble, snoop on each other and look out for each other. Cabot memorises a whole keyboard in one go. Tenner stuffs his bag with toilet paper because he thinks it's amazing. The five grew up cut off from the world, so they've never heard of a drone or GPS, and there's lots of gentle comedy in that.

Lada is a great addition. She can teleport, she uses a wheelchair and forearm crutches, and the book lets you see her planning every move (she also rules the monkey bars, apparently).

Worth a mention for a sensitive reader. Their parents are criminals, Tenner is still coming to terms with news about his dad, and there are guards and police hunting children through the streets. It's pacey rather than scary.

What to read next

If they're after another hero with powers she has to hide, Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun has a British-Nigerian girl whose hair crackles with energy whenever her temper rises, and a mum with a lot she hasn't told her.