You Only Die Twice

November 1, 2012
Teen brainiacs Coke and Pepsi McDonald's cross-country jaunt runs out of gas on its third leg, despite continued silly predicaments and threats of sudden death. Giving up even a pretense of plausibility, Gutman introduces a new nemesis, masked impersonator Evil Elvis. He joins the bad guys collected in previous episodes for prepared ambushes as the twins and their clueless parents explore a string of tourist destinations--real ones, with photos and Google Maps directions provided. Opening with a teaser for a predicament that doesn't happen for over 200 pages and isn't the climax, the author shepherds the McDonald RV from July 4th fireworks on the National Mall to similarly spectacular but more destructive ones at Graceland. They stop along the way at places like the National Jousting Hall of Fame (Mount Solon, Va.), South Carolina's cheesy, Mexican-themed South of the Border tourist trap, and, inevitably, the Coca-Cola and Pepsi museums (Atlanta and New Bern, N.C., respectively). Imbedded in near-constant infodumps about these and many more roadside attractions that are mentioned but skipped, the various coded messages, captures, rescues and narrow escapes become predictable and repetitive. Like the increasingly quarrelsome McDonalds, readers will be feeling travel fatigue long before the author's concluding teaser for Book 4. (Adventure. 10-12)

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November 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Intrepid twins Coke and Pep(si) McDonald are back in the third installment of Gutman's popular Genius Files series, chased around the country by comical villains as they decipher clues, wield weapons, and experience the curiosities of American geography. Our omniscient narrator, with tongue in cheek, continually breaks the fourth wall to address readers directly, catching us up on the twins' previous adventures and unfurling the new ones. And although the backstory is a bit confused, the silly, improbable, episodic thrills are the main attraction, and they don't disappoint. This time out, the McDonald family RV is driving through the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, stopping at every peculiar landmark (from the world's largest frying pan to the respective birthplaces of the twins' eponymous soda-pop names) to learn a history lesson and rescue one another from sudden death. A final face-off at Graceland with the Evil Elvis, who has been tracking them (or has he?), ends with a bangand a cliff-hanger promise for the next installment. Each chapter includes Google Maps coordinates for readers to follow along. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This third title in the New York Times best-selling series kicks off with a five-city tour for Gutman as well as a national media campaign, YouTube channel with video content, and more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Twins Coke and Pepsi and their oblivious parents return in this third installment, continuing their road trip around the country, stopping in various landmark locations while tediously thwarting enemy pursuers. It's an informative travel guide through America's southern states wrapped up in an adventure novel with sometimes annoying humor. Readers are again encouraged to track the characters' route online with Google maps.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)