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31st out of 119 books
—
8 voters
Mission Unstoppable (The Genius Files #1)
by
Dan Gutman
In eight days, Coke and Pepsi McDonald are going to turn thirteen.
Before then, they'll jump off a cliff, get trapped in the locked basement of their burning school, chased cross-country by murderous lunatics, left for dead in the pit of a sand dune, forced to decipher mysterious coded messages, thrown into a giant vat of SPAM, and visit the world's largest . . . ball of tw...more
Before then, they'll jump off a cliff, get trapped in the locked basement of their burning school, chased cross-country by murderous lunatics, left for dead in the pit of a sand dune, forced to decipher mysterious coded messages, thrown into a giant vat of SPAM, and visit the world's largest . . . ball of tw...more
Hardcover, 287 pages
Published
February 1st 2011
by HarperCollins
(first published January 1st 2011)
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This first book sets the stage in the Genius Files series. Twins Coke and Pepsi have been selected to be in the Genius Files beacuse of their intelligence and their being twins. The book starts out with someone trying to kill the twins and the cross-country trip they are taking with their parents. Since their mother writes the "Amazing But True" web-based magazine devoted to odd facts and useless information, they will be visiting many off-beat locations and tourist traps. The action builds with...more
This was a fast moving book. I didn't feel like it was so good,I couldn't put it down, but it will appeal to young readers especially if they are used to Gutman's use of talking to the reader. I guess that when the author asks the reader to go do something, it annoys me, so that is why this book didn't get 4 stars. It is about two kids who find themselves in some peril because they test well in school and got added to a list of kids who could possibly save the world if they were brought to the g...more
In this book we follow 12 year old geniuses Coke and Pepsi McDonald as their family journeys across the country for a relative's wedding. Why, you might ask, would we care to follow a family as it RV's across the country? In part because Coke and Pepsi are not ordinary children; they have been selected to be part of the Genius Files, a secret government project to tap into the unconventional brilliance of youth to solve the world's problems. But something is afoot; strange men in bowler hats are...more
The Genius Files is a new series from one of my favorite kids’ authors: Dan Gutman. It’s the story of Coke and Pepsi McDonald, twins living in California. The story opens with Coke and Pepsi walking home from school at the end of the school year, dreading the cross-country RV trip they will take over the summer with their parents.
Gradually realizing they are being followed, the twins find themselves suddenly running from strange men in golf carts wearing bowler hats. They are intercepted by a wo...more
Gradually realizing they are being followed, the twins find themselves suddenly running from strange men in golf carts wearing bowler hats. They are intercepted by a wo...more
Do you know a child who loves to read the Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe it or Not and enjoys adventure stories with secret codes? Seriously? Of course you do! Then add in a helping of Dan Gutman's wacky humor, and you have the recipe for a book that kids will simply devour.
Coke and Pepsi McDonald are almost 13, and their parents are a little bit.... strange. They are being forced to take an RV trip from California to Virginia at the start of summer vacation. Just before the...more
Coke and Pepsi McDonald are almost 13, and their parents are a little bit.... strange. They are being forced to take an RV trip from California to Virginia at the start of summer vacation. Just before the...more
How could anyone resist a good old secret agent book! Fans of The Name of This Book Is Secret will enjoy the humor as well as adventure found throughout this incredible new series by Dan Gutman.
The visual aspect of the novel was very enjoyable. Each chapter title was in the form of an interstate sign while road markings were drawn along the pages reminding the reader of the road trip. Periodically the number of miles traveled would be shown in the margin in the form of an odometer. Black and whi...more
The visual aspect of the novel was very enjoyable. Each chapter title was in the form of an interstate sign while road markings were drawn along the pages reminding the reader of the road trip. Periodically the number of miles traveled would be shown in the margin in the form of an odometer. Black and whi...more
I really liked this book and think it will be very popular with 5th/6th grade kids. Readers follow twin main characters Coke (boy) and Pepsi (girl) as they are pursued by an evil crew trying to kill them. The two are very smart and resourceful, and almost always have some help to rescue themselves. Readers think the kids may have killed their pursuer(s) more than once, but the evil ones always reappear - still, the idea that kids are able and willing to kill, even in dire straits is a bit off-pu...more
This first book in Dan Gutman’s new series about 13-year-old twins recruited into a secret government organization (supposedly because of their intelligence levels) is a light-hearted, wacky adventure story best for kids in 6th grade and below. The plot, which involves a cross-country trip in an RV, is far-fetched and illogical, but younger kids probably won’t mind that much. The main characters (Coke & Pepsi McDonald) are fraternal twins (who actually do not seem all that smart…), which sho...more
I want to share with you the first page as it's just a bang-up opening and you know how much I love great openings that hook the reader from the start. Especially when they are followed up with an exciting and engaging novel that is very funny. Read the next paragraph and just try not to get hooked (Go ahead. I'll wait):
There were ten items on Coke McDonald’s to-do list on June 17, but JUMP OFF A CLIFF was not one of them.
CLEAN OUT MY LOCKER was on the list.
PICK UP MY YEARBOOk was on the list.
G...more
There were ten items on Coke McDonald’s to-do list on June 17, but JUMP OFF A CLIFF was not one of them.
CLEAN OUT MY LOCKER was on the list.
PICK UP MY YEARBOOk was on the list.
G...more
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable is a fun read for boys and girls.
Not only is it full of adventure, but also fun facts about the US as we
follow the two main characters across the US.
In eight days, twins Coke and Pepsi (or Pep) are very smart children. From
the very beginning of the book there is a lot of action as Coke and Pep go
on the run from people who are trying to kill them. Later in the book,
they learn that they are part of a group called The Genius Files but they
didn't know thi...more
Not only is it full of adventure, but also fun facts about the US as we
follow the two main characters across the US.
In eight days, twins Coke and Pepsi (or Pep) are very smart children. From
the very beginning of the book there is a lot of action as Coke and Pep go
on the run from people who are trying to kill them. Later in the book,
they learn that they are part of a group called The Genius Files but they
didn't know thi...more
The Genius Files/ Dan Gutman
I quite enjoyed this fast paced book as it mixed adventure with travel. Though the adventure part was predictable, the fun facts chipped in the travel part kept the interest alive.
The story is about two twins who have been chosen for a special ‘Earth saving’ project by, of course, and unidentified scientist who goes around chasing them while they are on their summer break. The twins are spending their summer travelling from the West coast in California in their RV wit...more
I quite enjoyed this fast paced book as it mixed adventure with travel. Though the adventure part was predictable, the fun facts chipped in the travel part kept the interest alive.
The story is about two twins who have been chosen for a special ‘Earth saving’ project by, of course, and unidentified scientist who goes around chasing them while they are on their summer break. The twins are spending their summer travelling from the West coast in California in their RV wit...more
Coke and Pepsi MacDonald are 12-year old twins who, all of a sudden, find that someone's trying to kill them. Someone has identified them as members, albeit unknowing members, of The Genius Experiment but what's that? Who are the "dudes in the bowler hats" and what do they want? Coke and Pep get caught in a burning school building, have to jump off a cliff wearing flying suits, and survive various other dastardly plots. Maybe it's a good thing the MacDonalds are leaving on their summer vacation,...more
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable is a delightful read for boys and girls. Dan Gutman has a great way of weaving a fun story and packing it with a lot of fun facts about America. Kids can follow along via googlemap.com every were that Coke and Pepsi go on their adventures. The author tells the young reader to go and look it up on their computers if they want to follow along and exactly how to do it. I thought this was a very fun idea and might get a child more involved in reading the book.
Co...more
Co...more
THREE WORDS: What a blast!
MY REVIEW: Dan Gutman’s The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable took me on the craziest, wildest trip across the US that one can imagine…and the trip has just begun!
Twins Coke and Pepsi (Pep) McDonald are not looking forward to spending the summer in a RV with their parents, traveling across the country from California to their aunt’s wedding in Washington, D.C., then back again. They expect a long boring summer. What they get is an action packed summer spent running for...more
MY REVIEW: Dan Gutman’s The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable took me on the craziest, wildest trip across the US that one can imagine…and the trip has just begun!
Twins Coke and Pepsi (Pep) McDonald are not looking forward to spending the summer in a RV with their parents, traveling across the country from California to their aunt’s wedding in Washington, D.C., then back again. They expect a long boring summer. What they get is an action packed summer spent running for...more
13 year old twins Coke and Peis are going on vacation in a week. The day before they go, they are chased by creepy men in golf carts. They jump off a cliff and their school burns down. On vacation, they think they are safe but they are NOT!
I liked that the entire book is a total mystery and you can never tell what will happen next.
I guess this is a good thing, but I didn't like that the book ended on a cliff hanger. And (this is not about the book) our local library doesn't have the second book!...more
I liked that the entire book is a total mystery and you can never tell what will happen next.
I guess this is a good thing, but I didn't like that the book ended on a cliff hanger. And (this is not about the book) our local library doesn't have the second book!...more
This book is absolutely ridiculous - in a good way. 12-year-old twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald are heading home from school the first time someone tries to kill them. This time it's a man in a bowler hat. The next time, it's their health teacher. The twins spend the last days of school and the first week of summer vacation escaping attempts on their lives with situations that involve: cliff jumping, Spam, a school fire, singing sand dunes, a giant ball of twine, and some ridiculous bad guys. (One...more
As soon as school lets out for the summer, twelve year old twins Coke and Pepsi are going on a cross country RV trip with their parents from San Fransisco to Washington D.C. for their Aunts wedding. Little do they know there is a lot in store for them before they will even arrive at their destination. For instance, by walking home from school rather than taking the school bus they end up having this guy wearing a bowler hat follow them in a golf cart. Trying to escape, Coke and Pepsi race to the...more
May I introduce you to Coke and Pepsi...McDonald; the names of our lead characters as given by their parents. If having names like these doesn't suit your fancy, no worries...you're in the same boat as them but after a while Coke and Pep (her nickname) were so far over it, any taunts were more amusing than irksome.
The twins have your typical sister brother relationship. They annoy each other but deep down they are family and would do whatever was necessary to ensure their well being. Good thing...more
The twins have your typical sister brother relationship. They annoy each other but deep down they are family and would do whatever was necessary to ensure their well being. Good thing...more
I think kids Gr 3-5 would get a kick out of this. It has many pieces that kids enjoy--danger and excitement, the possibility of kids solving all the problems of the world, strange trivia and collectables, pouring sewage on the bad guy. The nearly 13-year-old twins, Coke and Pepsi, have been designated part of the genius files and people are after them, to kill them! But there are also a couple adults who turn up to help them. Their parents are unaware of all of this--of jaming off a cliff (in a...more
This is a great one for those kids who like the 39 Clues series! Twins, Coke and Pepsi find out that they have been identified as part of a genius group of kids picked to eventually solve the country's problems. Their problem is that they don't find out until someone tries to kill them because of it. Set to start their summer vacation on an RV road trip from California to DC, the kids find themselves dodging strange men in bowler hats and their former health teacher who are all trying to kill th...more
I ordered this book for my school library because it looked like a good adventure story to pitch at the many fans of 39 Clues in third and fourth grade that was a contemporary story and not a fantasy. I was not disappointed in that regard. It was an extra bonus to discover part of this book was set in Wisconsin. It is not often that I come across books set in my school's state that are not prairie stories. Even more exciting was that the book's climactic sequence takes place at the House on the...more
Overall, The Genius Files was a great book. In the beginning, Coke and Pepsi are on their way home from school when two men in black hats come up behind them on a golf cart. At first they do not think it is a big deal, but after a few minutes they find out that they are trying to kill them. This is when they meet Mya. At the time, Coke and Pepsi don't know who she is but later they find out that she is trying to help them. After Coke and Pepsi get home from school, their parents tell them that...more
Another two thumbs up for Dan Gutman's new book. In the book, Mrs. McDonald a.k.a. "Mom," runs an amazing but true website. The website celebrates crazy and interesting facts that most people don't know about. So, I thought I would honor the book and name some "Amazing but True" facts about the book.
Amazing but True...There is a museum dedicated to Pez dispensers and the museum is home to the world's largest pez dispenser.
Amazing but True...It is roughly 3000 miles to drive from California to Wa...more
Amazing but True...There is a museum dedicated to Pez dispensers and the museum is home to the world's largest pez dispenser.
Amazing but True...It is roughly 3000 miles to drive from California to Wa...more
I thought it was a fun read and easy to follow the unusual destinations across the country starting with the PEZ museum in Burlingame California. The twins were reacting to events around them but they still tried to figure out the clues they were given and stop some unknown major disaster. I am looking forward to the next installment of The Genius Files as we find out what is in store for Coke and Pep as the now teenagers try finishing crossing the country in an RV with their parents. What stra...more
Despite being intended for a middle grade audience, THE GENIUS FILES: MISSION UNSTOPPABLE is undoubtedly one of the funniest books I've read in 2012. From the quirky characters, aptly named to make an ironic statement about excessive consumerism (Pepsi and Coke McDonald? Fabulous!) to the humorous cross-country trip full of code-breaking, death-escaping, random encounters (like the world's biggest ball of twine -- a few time, until they get it right!), this is a cute read that will entertain chi...more
Gutman's humor is infectious in this tale of twins (Coke and Pepsi) who are selected to save the world from terrorist attacks @ oddball places throughout the US. The humor makes most of the impossible events that occur in the story bearable, but tidbits on the curious history of collector's Americana as the family travels cross country in a RV kept this reader turning pages, as did the puzzles and codes strewn in the chapters. Gutman includes his own travel photos an encourages readers to follow...more
I really liked this book in the beginning: twins by the name of Coke and Pepsi McDonald find out that they have secretly been recruited for the Genius Files. But someone is trying to get rid off them and more than once they have to escape dangerous situations, as they take a road trip across America with their parents. I thought it a clever idea for the author to tie in the use of technology (Google maps) to allow the reader to closely follow the road taken by the twins and their parents. I also...more
Gutman is a fave author for kids in grades 3 - 6 now, with his varies series and stand alone titles. This is the start of a new mystery series, with twin protagonists, geniuses Coke and Pepsi McDonald. They travel across America on a trip with their parents, hiding from them the fact they've been selected for a top secret project AND are being hunted by an unknown enemy. Ciphers and codes must be broken- fun for any kid. Sidebars with photos, maps and more add interest. There's a healthy dose of...more
As usual Dan Gutman, connects with boy readers through humor, but this time adds an element of adventure. Twins siblings Coke and Pepsi (seriously) have been selected, unbeknownst to them, for a secret agent program that targets genius kids. Although Gutman plays up his boy bias with male twin Coke clearly ahead in the genius department, at least Pep is good at solving the ciphered messages the twins receive throughout the book. There are plot holes a mile wide, and the characterization is about...more
This book has a lot going for it. It features a smart, likable pair of twins as main characters who suddenly find themselves entangled in a crazy plot involving a secret society of genius spy kids and their enemies - oh yeah, and they have to go on a long, cross-country road trip with their slightly weird parents in an RV. There's humor, some pretty cool puzzle solving thrown in, and nice age-appropriate action sequences. My one problem is that a lot of the plot depended on a very, very strong s...more
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The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of...more
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Mar 05, 2013 03:35pm