Marcus's father is giving a talk on the importance of sharing, not selling, water at the World Leaders summit, and no sooner have they stepped off the plane than they're embroiled in controversy, vandalism, and harassment. Luckily, Marcus doesn't have to sort it all out in his own: along with his little brother, Bounce, and Bounce's best friend, Nadia and her brother Devin are attending the conference, too. With the whole gang working together, they'll get to the bottom of the conspiracy in no time.

In their sixth Graphic Guides collaboration, O'Donnell and Deas show off just how far they've come since writing informational comics about skateboard tricks and wilderness survival: Power Play gives an overview of democracy, political parties, civil disobedience, and even lobbyists. The conspiracy is a little far-fetched, but still gripping and propels the story. Upper-elementary and middle-school students will appreciate this new adventure, and might not even notice the civics lesson.

Caveat: At this point in the series it's becoming obvious that the creative team behind this series is pretty liberal and thinks conservatives are at the very least crazy. It's hard to stay impartial when your heroes ask questions like "why would anyone vote against this water accord that will give guarantee clean drinking water around the world?" and the answer is "because they would rather sell water than share it." Liberalism doesn't bother ME at all--I rather prefer it--but it's worth noting all the same. ( )

This graphic novel mystery takes place at a political summit where Canadian youth group leaders have won a trip to watch politicians in action. They end up becoming involved in solving a murder and trying to change the world.
The story does a wonderful job of teaching about laws, governments, politicians and historical democracies. I found the underlying message of the story to be that with determination, youth can make a difference in the world.

Recommended for ages 8-12. ( )