Round Seven – In Singapore! Read our Review of Kensy and Max 7: Take Down by Jacqueline Harvey

Pharos is one of the world’s most powerful spy agencies. And at the young age of eleven, identical twins Kensy and Max were admitted as Pharos agents in training. Max has a photographic memory with a particularly impressive ability to remember maps, while Kensy has a flair for robotics and mechanical engineering. It makes you wonder what interesting crimes they’ll be investigating this time.

In Kensy and Max 6: Full Speed, we saw the twins whisked away to Switzerland on a fully-sanctioned Pharos mission. But in this instalment, Kensy and Max 7: Take Down, their mission hits closer to home – it’s personal.

After winning the National STEM Championships, Kensy, Max, and a team of students from Central London Free School, are ready to compete for the international trophy in Singapore. But when Granny Cordelia is poisoned, the twins no longer feel like celebrating.

They still have a duty to their team though, and everyone seems to think they’ll be safe in a country halfway around the world. It turns out that Singapore is a ride with mysteries, and soon enough Kensy and Max have uncovered a much larger case than anyone counted on. How do you pretend everything is fine when those that you love are in danger? If people you once trusted are now deemed a threat?

Jacqueline Harvey is one of Australia’s most successful children’s authors. She was an educator for 20 years before turning her hand to writing – her childhood dream! With numerous short-listings and awards, it’s no wonder why Harvey’s had continued success with her series’ Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, and Kensy and Max.

The contrast in setting and storyline compared to the series’ first six books gives Kensy and Max 7: Take Down a fresh and invigorating spin. With a backdrop of Singapore setting the scene, the sentimentality in Kensy and Max’s mission makes this instalment particularly special. Young science enthusiasts will also delight in the story’s pivotal incorporation of the World STEM championships.

Fans and new readers alike will benefit from the maps of London and Singapore, a comprehensive character list, and a case note (that acts as a recap for book 6). These simultaneously give middle-grade readers aged 9+ the tools to recount the storyline and feel like they’re spies with Kensy and Max too!