The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Story of the Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel

On December 29, 1943, General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent an order to all Allied commanders, “Today we are fighting in a country which has contributed a great deal to our cultural inheritance, a country rich in monuments which by their creation helped…the growth of civilization which is ours. We are bound to respect those monuments so far as war allows.” This was a lesson sadly learned after Allied Forces had bombed several culturally significant buildings throughout Europe. To repair their mistakes, the Monuments Men division was established to have art experts on the front lines protecting architecture, monuments, artwork, and archives from the ravages of war. But the scope of the Monuments Men’s work exploded as they tackled the Nazi’s strategic plundering for Adolf Hitler’s Führermuseum, Hermann Göring’s artwork obsession, and for eliminating the Jews’ existence in Europe.

Edsel’s book is a young readers version of his New York Times best-selling novel, The Monuments Men. Edsel composes a well-documented and visually abundant story that breathes life into this little-known excerpt in history. At the beginning of the book, readers are introduced to key Monuments Men and major Nazi leaders, all listed with their photographs, a small biography, and their locations during World War II. Also included are maps showing the movements and discoveries made by the Monuments Men. Filled with impactful visual aids, Edsel’s story places young readers right alongside these heroic men and women as they fight to save Europe’s history from the greedy hands of Nazi invaders. For young readers unfamiliar with terms of the period, Edsel includes a helpful glossary near the end of his book. A fascinating read sure to develop a deeper love of history and a richer appreciation for the arts. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Secret Soldiers by Keely Hutton

Thomas’s elder brother, James, is missing in action during World War I. Thomas believes he must find James so his struggling family can be strong again. Thomas secretly goes to London hoping a recruitment officer will ignore his thirteen-year-old features. Thankfully, Thomas meets street-savvy teen, George, who knows a way underage boys can join the war. Thomas and George and two other underage soldiers, Charlie and Frederick, are assigned to work with the clay kickers, a secret unit tunneling under the Western Front in France. Their mission is to stealthily dig to the German trenches and blowup the enemy’s lines. During their breaks, Thomas, George, Charlie, and Frederick scour the trenches for news about James.

Hutton’s story showcases four narratives representing why a quarter of a million underage British boys left their childhoods behind to fight in World War I. Thomas feels it’s his duty to join the war to find his missing brother. As a street urchin and orphan, George enlists for the sake of new clothing, pay, and three meals a day. Charlie signs up to escape an abusive home. Frederick enrolls so he can join his rich family’s legacy of glorious war heroes. Each boy comes with different intentions, but they all learn that their main goal is survival. Banding together as brothers helps each boy endure their small part in this world conflict. Hutton’s book is an eye-opening story revealing a part of the Great War that has not been showcased before in young adult literature. Because Secret Soldiers is a war novel, there are violent and graphic scenes that exhibit the hell of war, making it appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Russian invaders hope Lithuania will disappear by outlawing all aspects of Lithuanian life. Lithuanians rebel by smuggling in anything that maintains their culture. Audra’s parents are book smugglers and Audra yearns to help. Unfortunately, her chance abruptly comes when her parents are arrested by Cossack soldiers. Audra is left carrying a book her parents beg that she get into safe hands. While avoiding the Cossacks, Audra meets Lukas, a boy who leads her to Milda, another book smuggler and secret teacher. Both Milda and Lukas introduce Audra to book smuggling and teach her the power of reading. Unfortunately, the Cossacks are closing in, burning all Lithuanian books and the homes of anyone hiding them.

Based on true events, Nielsen highlights a forgotten piece of history that testifies to the power of the written word. When Russian authorities issued a press ban on Lithuania in 1865, they were hoping to turn Lithuanians into Russian citizens. Lithuanians fought back and the knygnešiai, or book carriers, were born. Audra’s fictional story begins 28 years into the ban. Audra’s parents keep her secluded on their farm to shelter her from Russian influences. However, Audra is soon left alone to face a troubling world using her grit to guide her. Because of her lacking education, Audra doesn’t understand how a book can be a weapon against Russian occupancy. That is until she learns to read. Soon courageous stories fuel her efforts and she passes that strength on to those who desperately need it. Nielsen’s powerful girl-power novel is a great introduction to a lost but important piece of history. A map showing Audra’s travels would have helped to showcase Audra’s heroic efforts in fighting for Lithuanian freedom. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

For seventy years, the CIA have been searching for Albert Einstein’s final equation, Pandora—a shortcut for harnessing atomic energy. Einstein left a clue to Pandora on his deathbed, but no one has solved it. Unfortunately, a German terrorist group, the Furies, is on the trail. To get ahead, CIA Agent Dante Garcia brings someone as smart as Einstein into the CIA’s confidence: twelve-year-old prodigy, Charlie Thorne. Charlie has used her genius to get away from her uncaring parents and fulfill her juvenile needs. When CIA Agents Dante Garcia and Milana Moon find Charlie, she resists. Once they explain their predicament, she agrees to help, especially since Dante is her half-brother. Working together they solve Einstein’s clue, which leads them to Jerusalem. However, the Furies are there too. A violent struggle ensues attracting Israel’s own covert agency, the Mossad, into the equation hunt.

Gibbs’ book is a seriously satisfying and entertaining espionage thriller. But there’s a deeper side to this spy adventure. Charlie might have Einstein’s IQ, but she is far from being wise. She is still a twelve-year-old girl who wants to have fun and be a kid. Being a genius has both blessed and burned her. She takes outrageous risks knowing her brain will automatically calculate all possible solutions. But her aptitude thrust her into a cut-throat world where adults, including her parents, took advantage of her skills. With no trust for authority, Charlie attempts to fly under the radar and uses her skills when she wants something. When Charlie is reunited with Dante, he pushes her to fulfill her full potential by helping others. Even though this book is targeted for middle-grade readers, the violence level is more for ages thirteen and up. Fans of Roland Smith and Ron McGee will enjoy this book.

Potion Masters: The Seeking Serum by Frank L. Cole

Gordy’s life has drastically changed. His entire family is on the run from a newly corrupted B.R.E.W. and from his grandfather’s henchmen. It’s an incredibly tense time knowing that Mezzarix has the Vessel—the beating heart of the potion world. With that kind of power, Mezzarix could overthrow anyone or anything. With no official aid from B.R.E.W., Wanda and Aunt Priss make an unusual alliance with the Swigs—a resistance group of underground potion-makers—to help fight against Mezzarix’s growing forces. Wanting to help during this precarious period, Gordy, Adilene, Max, and Sasha try to brew a seeking serum to find Mezzarix. After several failed attempts while being continually attacked by Mezzarix’s followers, the friends finally succeed at locating him. 

Cole’s final book in his Potion Masters trilogy is a satisfying conclusion to a wonderfully imagined and expertly crafted fantasy. What makes this fantasy so deep and complex are the real-life problems that youth face during times of war and unrest. This includes living life as a refugee, finding allies in unlikely places, and uncovering skeletons in a family’s past. Cole shows that even during times like this, Gordy and his friends discover an inner strength to face it all, including facing the man behind the war. This confident strength comes from knowing that their priorities are pure and right. So by combining their individual gifts, Gordy and his friends are able to stop a war and help rebuild a promising future. With such richness in Cole’s writing, readers will definitely be clamoring for more adventures with Gordy, Adilene, and Max. A fun-filled, action-packed fantasy series great for ages 12 and up.

Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Island by Brandon Mull

Unknowingly kidnapped by Ronodin, Seth is taken to Phantom Island, the gateway of the Under Realm. Once there, Ronodin takes advantage of a memory-wiped Seth by developing Seth’s darker powers. Seth and Ronodin sneak inside Blackwell Keep where Seth unleashes the evil undead onto the residents. Kendra sees Seth during the chaos but barely escapes with some of her companions. With Wyrmroost fallen, Kendra and her companions go to the island sanctuary of Crescent Lagoon to help restore the island’s protective power, the Sunset Pearl. Back in the Under Realm, Seth searches for answers to his past from the prisoner Bracken. Bracken desperately explains Seth’s past and Ronodin’s true nature, but their interview is cut short.

In Mull’s third installment of his Dragonwatch series, fans will be taken on a wild ride towards tropical islands, evil underworlds, and into enchanted seas. But there is a deeper side to this story than a grand adventure of stopping dragons from ruling the world. Mull explores the emotional wars a volatile Seth is fighting inside himself. With his memories totally gone, Seth is duped by Ronodin into thinking they are brothers fighting against Kendra’s tyranny. Seth has no choice but to believe Ronodin and together they wreak havoc on Wyrmroost. As time goes by, Seth begins to see Ronodin’s true character through his lies. Seth realizes he is mentally and emotionally wounded from the verbal and emotional abuse dealt out by Ronodin and from living in the oppressive Under Realm. He doesn’t feel comfortable going back to his real friends and family until he can heal some of those wounds and atone for the evil choices he unknowingly made.

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed by Obert Skye

Ozzy Toffy believes his past life is totally behind him. During his adventures in New Mexico, Ozzy learned that his parents are dead, killed by the company that wanted to manipulate their scientific research for financial gains. So Ozzy has moved on, finding a new life and home with Clark, Sigi, and Sigi’s mother. However, Ozzy begins to experience hypnotic trances that draw him unwittingly into the ocean. These life-threatening experiences plunge Ozzy, Rin, Clark, and Sigi back into the world Ozzy’s parents were trying desperately to escape.

Skye reintroduces readers into Ozzy’s magically adventurous coming of age story. At the start of this book, Ozzy has accepted a magical happy ending with his parents is totally gone. This makes him pursue his own realistic ending, thinking it involves living the life of a normal teenager and staying away from anything that once involved his parents. Unfortunately, his parents’ past just won’t leave him alone once the hypnotic trances begin. So more detecting and deduction needs to happen before Ozzy unknowingly drowns himself. Ozzy eventually accepts that his normal life is totally gone when Rin returns and brings magic into Ozzy’s life again. Once he makes this mental switch, Ozzy finds that he has his own fantastical secrets to uncover. This thoughtful and whimsical read will have fans begging for the final book.

Ryan Quinn and the Rebel's Escape by Ron McGee

After living all over the world, eighth-grader Ryan Quinn feels like he can finally call New York City his home. Ryan’s family moved back to the United States when his father began working for the United Nations. While Ryan’s dad is on a UN trip, mercenaries led by General Aung Win, break into Ryan’s home and kidnap his mother, holding her hostage until Ryan can reach his father. After the break-in, Ryan discovers a secret room which holds information on the Emergency Rescue Committee (ER). Ryan’s family is apart of this underground organization dedicated to rescuing key individuals threatened by their tyrannical countries. Ryan's dad is on a secret rescue mission that has gone horribly wrong and only Ryan can fix it.

McGee’s middle-grade series is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. Readers are introduced to Ryan Quinn, a good kid who naturally fights for the underdog and cleverly outwits his attackers. Ryan’s tactical gifts are skills his parents trained him to do to survive his global childhood. Unfortunately, these skills are not always appropriate in a school setting. This causes Ryan to feel torn about when he should and shouldn’t fight for others who need help. However, when Ryan is plunged into the world of the Emergency Rescue Committee, he realizes his true calling. Many adventure books have the protagonists miraculously developing stellar survival skills during their times of crisis, which makes the characters less believable or relatable. However, McGee expertly weaves those skills into Ryan’s foundational being making his feats seem more natural and believable. A great read for fans of globe-trotting adventures like Roland Smith’s Peak series or Ally Carter’s Heist Society series.