So every now and then my local library gets it wrong, but in this case, it meant I got to read a book with truly great MG writing style and a fantastic mystery, Finders Keepers by Shelley Tougas.
The story revolves around Christa and Alex's hunt for Al Capone's money in the small Wisconsin town of Whitefish. Legend has it that Capone gave some money for safe keeping to Alex's family. During Prohibition, they ran a restaurant from which they sold Capone's alcohol. But the money is "cursed" and the family hides it ... I won't say where. That would spoil the mystery and the big twist at the end!
The real gem in this book are its characters -- Christa, the narrator, and Alex. Christa is just superb! And Alex is very relatable, too. My son and daughter loved them both and read passages out loud, snorting and laughing as they did.
I'm super-duper glad I got to read this when I thought I had put the book below on hold.
THIS was the book my son wanted to read, after he picked the first book, Rebels of the Lamp, from our local library's table at TFOB. I thought I put it on hold. Turned out it was the other book, and I had to ask the library to purchase this one.
In any case, the second installment of Rebels was just as action-packed at the first, and my son and daughter LOVED it! There was more angsty teenager-ish secret-keeping than in the first book, as the story introduces a character -- Naomi -- who is really working for a governmental agency that's watching Reese, Parker, Theo and Fon-Rahm (who's pretending to be a middle school teacher).
I won't spoil the ending, just suffice it to say, it leaves it open for a third book that'll no doubt feature some serious character growth on Fon-Rahm's part.
