EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
NERDS!
“Funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining.”
–SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“This fun adventure is sure to attract followers, who
will look forward to the sequels…. Beavers’s
comic strip-style illustrations add further appeal.”
–BOOKLIST
“The inventive details, story, and made-up futuristic
technology will keep pages turning.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
“A charming and funny tale of
underdogs saving the day.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Deeply funny.”
—INSTRUCTOR MAGAZINE
“NERDS is a fun middle grade romp, with a great
multicultural cast…. [It] gives the geeks and
underdogs of the world a chance to shine, and that’s
something this current Braceface is glad to see.”
—KIDLITERATE BLOG
BY MICHAEL BUCKLEY
The Sisters Grimm
Book One: The Fairy-Tale Detectives
Book Two: The Unusual Suspects
Book Three: The Problem Child
Book Four: Once Upon a Crime
Book Five: Magic and Other Misdemeanors
Book Six: Tales from the Hood
Book Seven: The Everafter War
Book Eight: The Inside Story
Book Nine: The Council of Mirrors
A Very Grimm Guide
NERDS
Book One: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
Book Two: M Is for Mama’s Boy
Book Three: The Cheerleaders of Doom
Book Four: The Villain Virus
Book Five: Attack of the BULLIES
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition of this book as follows:
Buckley, Michael.
NERDS : National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society / by Michael Buckley.
p. cm. — (NERDS ; bk. 1)
Summary: While running a spy network from their elementary school,
five socially awkward misfits combine their talents and use cutting-edge
gadgetry to fight evil around the world.
ISBN 978-0-8109-4324-7
[1. Spies—Fiction. 2. Schools—Fiction. 3. Humorous stories.] I. Title. II. Title:
National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society.
PZ7.B882323Ne 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2009015484
Paperback ISBN 978-0-8109-8985-6
Text copyright © 2010 Michael Buckley
Illustrations copyright © 2010 Ethen Beavers
Book design by Chad W. Beckerman
Originally published in hardcover in 2009 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. This edition published in 2010. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Amulet Books and Amulet Paperbacks are registered trademarks of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
www.abramsbooks.com
For dorks, dweebs,
geeks, spazzes,
waste cases, and
nerds everywhere.
Someday you too
will change the
world.
TOP SECRET!
THIS BOOK IS A NERDS CASE FILE. IT
CONTAINS HIGHLY SENSITIVE MATERIAL
AND WAS COMPILED FROM THE SWORN
TESTIMONIES OF EYEWITNESSES. IT ALSO
CONTAINS INFORMATION RETRIEVED FROM
INTERROGATIONS AND CONFESSIONS.
WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY, KID, IS DON’T
LOSE IT! IF THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK
FELL INTO THE WRONG HANDS, IT WOULD
CAUSE A NATIONAL SECURITY CRISIS.
SO DO US ALL A FAVOR AND DON’T SHOW
THIS BOOK TO ANYONE.
HOW DO I HAVE ACCESS TO THIS
INFORMATION?
WELL, I USED TO BE A MEMBER OF NERDS—
BACK WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE. IT’S TRUE! MY
CODE NAME WAS BEANPOLE. WHAT ARE YOU
LAUGHING AT? BEANPOLE IS A GREAT SECRET
AGENT NAME. ANYWAY, NOW THAT I’M OLDER, MY
JOB IS TO DOCUMENT THE AGENTS AND THEIR
MISSIONS. NOW THAT I’VE TOLD
YOU ALL OF THIS, I’M SUPPOSED TO KILL
YOU, BUT YOU LOOK LIKE A GOOD ENOUGH
PERSON. BESIDES, THE TEAM THINKS YOU HAVE
POTENTIAL. IN FACT, THEY ARE CONSIDERING
YOU FOR A SPOT. BUT FIRST WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE YOU’RE UP TO THE CHALLENGE. READ THIS
BOOK FROM COVER TO COVER, AND IF AT THE
END YOU THINK YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES …
WELL, LET’S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES.
YOU’VE GOT TO READ IT FIRST.
VERIFY I.D.
TO ACCESS THE REST
OF THE BOOK, PLACE
YOUR THUMB ON
THE SENSOR FOR
FINGERPRINT MATCH.