The Whitbread Award–winning author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time took the opportunity to revise and update this 1992 novel for readers 9 to 13, originally titled Gridzbi Spudvetch! Best friends Jimbo and Charlie leave a walkie-talkie in the teacher's lounge and overhear a strange conversation in a secret language. But what does "spudvetch" actually mean, and why do Mr. Kidd's eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says it to him?
"Exactly the kind of caper you imagine when you're a kid, filled with adult conspiracies, secret codes, and wisecrack-filled escapades ... [and] a climax featuring a giant, disco-obsessed alien spider named Britney."—Booklist
