Stuart Gibbs
Simon & Schuster, 2019
385 pages
Grades 4-7
Mystery/Adventure
Twelve-year-old genius, Charlie Thorne, is picked off by two CIA agents on the ski slopes, while playing hooky from college classes. She is whisked away to Israel to decipher Pandora; Einstein's last code that holds the secrets of the universe. Whichever country owns Pandora can fix the energy crisis, as well as control the entire world. Naturally, the United States is determined to gain control of this powerful information and will do whatever it takes to obtain it--including recruiting the services of a tween genius. An independent group of European white supremacists is also hot on the trail of Pandora, as is the Israeli government and secret police. Can Charlie get to the information before they do? Will she be able to decipher the code? And what exactly is her relationship with the CIA agent who seems to know her personally?
Stuart Gibbs is the current king of middle grade mysteries. He is my "go-to" guy for kids who are mystery lovers and need recommendations, though most kids already know him and have read his whole vast library. A bit of a departure from his Moon Base Alpha or FunJungle series, this recent series is more spy thriller and has a James Bond/Cold War feel to it. The plot has a lot of twist, turns, and surprises, containing enough details to keep the mystery interesting without bogging down the novel or confusing the reader. Charlie is an interesting character. Although a fearless genius, she realizes in the process of the novel that she has lessons to learn and choses to be a kinder person and responsible citizen. The Einstein connection adds a hook to the plot and lends ethnicity to the proceedings. I never achieved a proper handle on what exactly Pandora is, but it doesn't matter. It's all about the process of obtaining it and watching Charlie crack the code. Scientific tidbits are cleverly interspersed and wonderful quotes from Einstein introduce the different sections. The next series installment, Charlie Thorne and the Lost City, was released this year and involves fellow scientist Charles Darwin. A great mystery adventure series starter with a little something more.
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