Book Review: Milo Speck

Premise: Milo is looking for a sock when he gets pulled through the dryer into a land of giant ogres who love to eat little boys. As Milo tries to find his way home, he uncovers am incredible secret agency and an deadly scheme.

Title: Milo Speck, Accidental Agent
Author: Linda Urban
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-5
Format: eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Publication: September 1, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: fun, creative, fast-paced

Milo Speck is a super fun story. The cover makes it look like Milo shrinks, but actually he ends up in a land of giants/ogres. The ogres provide quite a bit of comedy with their short attention spans and general lack of intelligence. It's pretty slapstick, perfect for middle grade readers who have a silly sense of humor.

There are some interesting characters, too, in this fast-paced plot-driven story. Urban manages to squeeze in quite a lot of depth. There are secret-pasts for some characters, betrayal by others, and transformation for several.

Heads up, though - the premise and cover made me think, "This looks purpose for readers who need more support!" But, actually, the story is pretty complex, and some of the language is a tricky. For instance, the main character, Milo, really enjoys putting "esque" on the ends of words. He says things like, "The chair looked tree-esque."

Overall, I really enjoyed Milo Speck. It was a quick, engaging, light story with unexpected complexity.

4 stars