The Forbidden Stone (The Copernicus Legacy #1)

In this strong, ambitious start to the Copernicus Legacy series, Abbott (the Secrets of Droon) sends four protagonists on a globe-spanning adventure as they attempt to reclaim lost artifacts before a secret organization realizes its evil agenda. Working through a series of centuries-old puzzles and clues, stepbrothers Wade and Darrell Kaplan and their friends Lily and Becca, accompanied by Wade's astrophysicist father, attempt to unravel the mystery of a device built by the astronomer Copernicus. As their search takes them from Germany to Italy and Guam, they unravel ciphers, translate lost diaries, and both outwit and outrun the fiendish, murderous Teutonic Order. With 12 artifacts to be found over 12 planned installments, a mix of novels and novellas, there's no denying the epic scope of this storyline. Fast-paced and clever, the novel reads like a mashup of the National Treasure films and The Da Vinci Code; it's a thriller that engages the intellect even as it rummages through history for inspiration and journeys to far-flung locales. Ages 8-12. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Jan.)

Gr 5-8-- "Find the twelve relics. You are the last." This ominous message in code from his dad's former professor sends Wade Kaplan, his astrophysicist father, stepbrother Darrell, cousin Lily, and her friend Becca on an around-the-globe chase to locate hidden parts of a time-traveling astrolabe built in the 16th century by Copernicus. Fearing that the device would fall into the hands of the evil Knights of the Teutonic Order of Ancient Prussia, the astronomer removed 12 vital parts and scattered them throughout the world, protected by people known only as the Guardians. Now that the Knights have returned to power, they will stop at nothing to find the hidden relics and reactivate the astrolabe. In this first installment in the series, Abbott covers a lot of ground as the rapid-fire plot takes our heroes from Texas to Italy and Guam while establishing the backstories of Copernicus; the Guardians; the Knights; and their beautiful but deadly leader, Galina. The author masterfully pulls all the threads together and creates an engaging thriller enhanced by codes, puzzles, exotic locales, and narrow escapes. Characterization takes a backseat to action, but readers won't mind and will look forward to learning more about the people as the series progresses. However, since the book's title names what type of relic everyone is searching for, readers don't enjoy a big reveal when the questers make that discovery late in the story. Give this to Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson fans or readers who've aged out of "The 39 Clues" (Scholastic).--Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY