YA review: Dan Gutman's Mission Unstoppable: The Genius Files

This very fun adventure story pits Coke and Pepsi McDonald, twin middle school students, against a handful of secret agents trying to kill them. Coke is a boy named for the coal, not the beverage; or at least that was the plan.  Pepsi was the surprise twin girl who popped out after Coke, and was, in fact named after the soft drink. Their last name is McDonald, after all, so why not? Both Coke and Pepsi are very smart and without their knowing it, they are recruited to be part of a secret government agency of kid special agents, a program known as the Genius Files. Coke and Pepsi only find out about that after men in bowler hats try to kill them on their way home from school, and the action picks up from there. Author Dan Gutman's writing is funny and approachable for upper elementary students. When the twins embark on a cross-country family vacation, Gutman offers an interactive feature in sidebars by asking readers to log onto Google Maps and follow the family's route. Older students might have a hard time sustaining their disbelief with a number of events, but elementary students looking for an action-filled adventure will likely eat this one up and beg for the second book in the series.