This was a gem! I don’t know what I was expecting from the cover, but it was not a spy thriller, which is really what the story is. And I was tickled pink as the story / caper progressed, and I realized what I was reading was a super sophisticated, incredibly well-plotted middle grade tale of intrigue, subterfuge, double-crosses and more!
The prologue is super important. I know literary agents and publishers supposedly don’t like prologues, but this one rocked it.
It starts from the point of view of a kid, Preston Oglethorpe, who you won’t see or hear from as a kid again. When we do get his POV again, he’s grown, an adult genius. He went to the same middle school as the main characters of the story (Frankie, Oliver and Matilda) and left in the seventh grade for MIT. This is kind of a rare POV for a middle grade book to feature as the start to a story (one you don’t encounter again until he’s an adult). But in this case, it works super-duper well.
In any case, Preston’s still in middle school when he predicts, using math, the perfect day for his middle school crush, Floss. There’s a “Beep” on his watch after every amazing moment, right down to the very last … angry clown running down the street? Actually, no. Life throws an unforeseen angry clown at Preston, which doesn’t ruin Floss’ day, but devastates Preston. The last we hear from him, he’s determined to throw life a clown or two of his own. His best friend Jimmy’s distinctly unnerved that his friend is messing with forces in the universe he may not fully understand. And Floss? She’s … clueless.
Then the caper starts. Frankie Figge and Oliver Beane (deliberately named after foods?) enter middle school, but the pain of separation is not far on the horizon. Oliver’s mom is losing the house and she’s planning on moving to another state. At orientation, the boys learn that Preston, while a genius and alumni of the middle school in a Chicago suburb, has been missing for a long while. Matilda is late to the first day, but it’s calculated: she can read people like books. She rubs Oliver the wrong way, but Frankie is more than willing to let her join their duo, making it an awkward trio, even after she hacks their chat and inserts herself.
Next we’re introduced to the two men surveilling Oliver and his mom – and you learn, his mom’s not the “mark.” You’re left to surmise, Oliver is. Exactly what they’re after, you can guess. (Hint hint!)
And finally, there’s the middle school janitor’s POV. Who the reader quickly learns is actually… and here I’m just going to stop, because if I don’t, I’ll give too much away.
Suffice it to say, this is a sophisticated caper, and counter-caper, and it’s right up there with the other spy guru books I love to read by authors such as Stuart Gibbs and James Ponti, but it hasn’t gotten quite as much love (or at least, not that I’ve seen). So here you go, Mr. Calabrese! I LOVED this book and I can’t wait to see what else you write.
Enjoy!
