Books

Villain's Lair (The Gecko and Sticky Series #1)

  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Pub. Date: February 2009
  • ISBN-13: 9780375843761
  • Sales Rank: 15,768
  • Age Range: 8 to 12
  • 208pp
  • Series: Gecko and Sticky Series, #1

Synopsis

Dave Sanchez is an average boy with an after-school job and a pet gecko named Sticky. All very normal—until the day Sticky talks. Sticky tells Dave a wild tale of a former life of crime, searching for Aztec gold with a treasure hunter named Damien Black, and of a magical Aztec wristband with shiny gold power ingots that will give the wearer super powers. Dave doesn’t believe a word—until Sticky shows him the wristband. But while Sticky managed to escape with the wristband, Damien Black has the power ingots. So the lizard and treasure hunter each have something the other wants . . . very badly.

Filled with outrageous adventures, over-the-top characters, snappy-funny dialogue, and a tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek narration, this new series is sure to be a hit with young superheros everywhere.

Wendelin Van Draanen spent many years as a teacher before devoting herself to writing full-time. She lives in Central California.

Kirkus Reviews

A wittily offbeat and action-packed adventure. Readers are immediately plunked into the action as Dave and his talking gecko, Sticky, make their way to Damien Black's creepy mansion through a bat-infested, oozing cave. They are after the magical ingots, which, paired with a wristband already in their possession, give the wearer various amazing powers. Black is an old-fashioned villain, with a "Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" sense of devilishness, and things get hairy when Dave and Sticky-a reformed (?) thief formerly in Black's employ-are trapped in Black's Pit of Doom. The two narrowly escape with one ingot, the one that provides wall-walking abilities, with Black and his bumbling cohorts in pursuit-all in the first half. The second half is less of a romp, as the villains look for Dave and mistake another boy for him. By tale's end Sticky and Dave learn to trust each other, and, of course, the power of good prevails over evil. A dastardly good read that benefits from its quirky drawings and may well become a can't-wait-for-the-next-one series. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Biography

Wendelin Van Draanen has been everything from a forklift driver to a high school teacher but is now enjoying life as a full-time writer. She is the author of the Shredderman quartet, the Sammy Keyes mysteries, and many other novels. Wendelin lives with her husband and two sons in central California. Her hobbies include the “three R’s”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll.