
By Ellis Weiner, Jeremy Holmes (Illustrator)
Part of the The Templeton Twins series
Twins kidnapped to force their inventor dad's hand. Can they outsmart their captors?
Twelve-year-old twins John and Abigail Templeton face a daring challenge when they're kidnapped by the devious Dean twins. Their father, a brilliant but scatterbrained inventor, must surrender his latest invention to secure their release. As John relies on his pragmatism and drumming skills, and Abigail uses her knack for solving cryptic crosswords, the siblings must outwit their captors. Will their cleverness be enough to escape and save their father's invention? Dive into this thrilling adventure where brains and bravery are put to the ultimate test.
Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let’s say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometime confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, kidnapped. Wouldn’t it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Now in paperback, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn’t?!). And now, there’s more!
What families may want to know
Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.
Serious Subject Matter
This tale about twins involves a kidnapping, as the perpetrators hold the kids hostage to get their father’s invention.
Violence
The kidnapper has a gun, which he fires off once. The nanny is down with her eyes closed, and the kidnappers say she died of a heart attack, though you find out later in the story that she didn't die. Abigail smashed Dan Dean's foot with a hammer when escaping. Dean d. Dean tries to shoot a dog, but the gun is out of bullets.
Ask your child how the twins used their creativity and intelligence to escape and help their dad.
5.5
out of 7
“I love how witty the Templeton twins are! This book reminds me a little bit of a Lemony Snicket tale, which I thought brought in some great humor. The twins have a great, smart, inventive father and they are kidnapped and held as ransom, as the perpetrators want their father's invention as payment. What the perpetrators don't realize is that the twins have learned a lot from their father--using the lessons and smarts they got from him, the twins save the day! I thought this book was adventurous, imaginative, fun, and clever.”
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