Aladdin Paperbacks Vanished!, 2

Very good book

My son, who typically prefers to play flag football or video games than read, enjoyed the first book in this series, FRAMED. Then he began VANISHED! and couldn't put it down. Florian Bates, the protagonist, is a middle schooler who is very good at noticing details that other people miss. So good, that he solved the mystery of an art theft that had stumped the grown ups in the first book (FRAMED!) and now he's a consultant to the FBI. He goes undercover at an elite prep school in Washington, D.C. to figure out who is behind a series of pranks. There is a varsity lacrosse player from a wealthy, politically elite family that bullies him and Florian bravely sets a trap that the bully arrogantly walks right into. It's a thing of beauty. The author realistically portrays the social dynamics among the cliques at the school, and there are wonderful scenes showing the strong friendship between Florian and his neighbor/sleuthing partner Margaret. This is a suspenseful read with a lot of humor and fun twists.

This series is great for kids that enjoy a good (to quote my son) “real life” adventure.” Love that it’s not boys v. girls.

Excellent book. My son wanted this came item described.

Florian Bates and Margaret Campbell are at it again. It being working for the FBI. This time, their job is to attend Chatham School, where the president's daughter attends, to solve the mystery of a prankster, code name, Loki. They use The Theory of All Small Things (TOAST) to help them. And there are over-laying puzzles along the way -- including Florian's bullying by a nasty, spoiled Senator's son. The kids at Chatham are all children of the higher ups in Washington. The story takes a surprising and satisfying turn along the way (many, actually). Florian and Margaret, plus their FBI handler, Marcus, are in fine form. What stopped this novel from getting 5 stars is that it takes too long to take off. Plodded along for over 100 pages. Once it got going, however, the action was breathless. As usual, Mr. Ponti filled the reader with historical knowledge without hammering it. Okay, if I could've given it 4.5 stars, I would have. Recommended!