THE INVISIBLE SPY

The Forgotten Five—a ragtag team of youths with unique superpowers—partner with new allies to take down President Fuerte and his sinister plot that implicates the kids’ criminal parents.

Overnight, news of a daring escape by supers from the president’s palace spreads across Estero. Hiding from palace guards for their role in the breakout, Birdie, Seven, Tenner, Cabot, and Brix find refuge in an underground maze and, eventually, in a monastery. Much-needed support comes from former Estero spy The Librarian and Lada, a young super with cerebral palsy who uses crutches and a wheelchair. They help train and prepare the five friends for the fight ahead. The team’s first mission? To figure out what’s up with President Fuerte, the man behind Estero’s anti-super fervor, as rumors abound of his nightly excursions abroad for clandestine meetups with supernaturals and to plan more thefts. Then he inexplicably repeals the anti-super laws. It also seems that some of the Five’s parents have covertly joined forces with the president. Resuming right from the end of Map of Flames (2022), this volume packs in a whole lot of espionage fun and poignant family drama. McMann’s exploration of the Five’s conflicting feelings over their parents’ intentions works marvelously to stir an adventure that’s more of a gut punch than its predecessor. A bundle of shocking, slightly zany plot twists and political intrigue, this follow-up delivers the goods. Characters have a range of skin tones.

A spy-flavored romp.