Spyglass: Mastermind of Mayhem

Name: Spyglass: Mastermind of Mayhem
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

by David Solomons, illustrated by Miguel Diaz Rivas

Interest age: 9 to 14
Reading age: 9+

Published by Nosy Crow, 2026

Adventure
Crime
Funny

About this book

Although Adam enjoys life as the ‘fix-it’ guy for GoldenCliff Holiday Park (his dad is hopeless at DIY!), it can be a bit boring so he’s looking forward to a visit from his mates Zada and Tyler.

But when the trio deliver groceries to an elderly gentleman living in a rather creepy-looking house nearby, the excitement factor goes from zero to a thousand within minutes.

A series of unexpected events turns Adam’s bike into an incredible flying machine. Naturally Zada films it and posts it online but then discovers the elderly gent isn’t quite what he seems. Turns out he’s Professor Goodspeed, a quartermaster for MI6 – he makes gadgets for spies.

Before long there are bad guys on the doorstep and an evil supervillain threatening to blow up the caravan park. It will take every one of the Prof’s ingenious inventions to stop him.

With all the excitement of a James Bond movie, this madcap adventure races along and is hard to put down.

But mostly it’s all about the gadgets: the glitter gun grenade launcher, the shark fizzler, a talking drone, and a very dangerous fake moustache to mention just a few. Packed with puns and hilarious, thrilling fun.

About the author

David Solomons is the best-selling author of the My Brother is a Superhero books, the first of which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016 and the British Book Industry Awards Children's Book of the Year 2016. David also won the 2018 Laugh Out Loud Awards (Lollies) with the second book in this series, My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord. He is a lifelong Doctor Who fan.

In addition to his acclaimed children's fiction, David Solomons has been writing screenplays for many years - his first feature film was an adaptation of Five Children and It, starring Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard. He was born in Glasgow and now lives in Dorset with his wife, the novelist Natasha Solomons, their son Luke and their daughter, Lara.