Swift and Hawk: Cyberspies

This Middle-Grade Action thriller mixed with Science Fiction made for a high-octane pace from start to finish. From the beginning Caleb and Zen’s family are kidnapped. Immediately after they get newly anointed code names Swift and Hawk from their teacher, who also secretly heads up the Mobius program which has ties to the CIA. When all avenues of adult help are cut off, they depend on their latest inventions to see them through to uncovering a plot so much bigger and more concerning than the kidnappings. This story unfolds like the plot of a movie. It is a non-stop action sure to keep the Middle-Grade reader’s attention with all the flashy gadgets and action sequences along the way.
It had a mix of Mission Impossible and Star Trek that made for a unique twist for our characters Caleb and Zen to navigate. With AI, quantum computers, and nanotech this story plays with the possibility of those technologies being in the hands of villains which is a timely plot point. As a reader, I wished the book had more character development and build-up to the kidnappings. We are given some indication that Zen and Caleb are tech-savvy and not your average tween from the beginning which helps go along with all the things they accomplish with little to no outside support, but I think it could have been even better with more time invested in getting to know and like these characters. Given the high-stress gritty nature of the plot, the characters do use profanity that may not be suitable for younger readers. Overall, this book was a quick read with lots of action with room for sequels that will likely appeal to Middle-Grade readers.

Caleb Quinn lives with his mother, Harper, a CIA agent, in London after the death of his father, a well known scientist. He attends ARC, a private school where he studies Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Cybertech. His best friend, Zenobia (Zen) is also the child of scientists. When leather jacketed hoodlums break into the Quinn home, Caleb uses technology he created, his FLEX, to spy on them, and hears his mother use code words to indicate he should flee. He manages to get out of the house and make his way to ARC, only to find that Professor Clay, whom he is supposed to contact, is not there, nor is Zen, who boards at the school. Zen has left a cryptic message with her android Beetlebat that leads Caleb to break into the British Museum and find a secret room where Zen is hiding. Her whole family has been kidnapped. Professor Clay shows up, but so does a small drone. Their position compromised, the three take off through the London sewers. The children get cut off from the professor, who has given them a mission to crack a code as part of the Moebius Programme, and they make their way to safety. The two decide to head to Amsterdam and contact a former schoolmate, Luuk, to help them. Caleb has been working on a video game called Terrorform that has become very popular, and has built on his father's AI program called SAM. Using their skills, Caleb and Zen start to unravel the mystery that involves enignmatic businessman Xavier Torent, Esperanza, APEX, and a diabolical plan that only the tweens can thwart. This takes them to the remote Norwegian island of Spøkelsøy where they have to fight nanowolves and outsmart Torrent to save Zen's family. Will they be able to find them, and locate Caleb's mother as well?