Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Gina and her friends Edgar, Elena, and Kevin are dismissively referred to as GEEKs by a classmate.  Each one has a passion that some consider geeky: Gina’s an aspiring investigative reporter; Edgar is into theater; Elena loves science; and Kevin is a mathematician who’s running for class president.  They pool their talents to try to find a treasure rumored to have been hidden by Maxine Van Houten, inventor of the popular Bamboozler puzzle that helped her town flourish.  Since her death, the town has fallen on hard times that are affecting all four of the kids’ families.  As the GEEKs work their way through the clues left by Maxine, they start to suspect that someone is trying to beat them to the treasure.  It’s a race against time that will require all the brainpower the four of them can muster.  320 pages; grades 4-6.

Pros:  Mystery and puzzle fans will enjoy this treasure hunt story that celebrates friendship and loyalty as well as smarts.  Billed as book 1, it looks like we will be seeing more about the GEEKs.

Cons:  Readers may need to suspend their disbelief that the kids are able to solve the difficult puzzles as quickly as they do.

February 8, 2022 at 04:27PM Janet Dawson