Nanny X.

Gr 3–5—Alison Pringle, 10, doesn't want a nanny; she wants her mother to stay home rather than going back to work as a lawyer. The feeling intensifies when she meets the new nanny, ominously named Nanny X. She wears a garden hat and a motorcycle jacket, and knows way more than she should. When Alison; her eight-year-old brother, Jake; baby sister, Eliza; and Nanny X go to a meeting about the park being turned into a factory, Alison soon discovers that there is much more to her new caregiver than she could have ever imagined. Could Nanny X be a secret agent? Reminiscent of Jarrett Krosoczka's "Lunch Lady" series (Random), Nanny X provides an humorous story about an unexpected hero. The narration alternates between Alison and Jake, giving an interesting change in perspective. A solid addition to a popular genre.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT