As summer winds down, it's a great time to squeeze in a few more action-packed adventure books, before school and assigned readings begin. I can recommend four new gripping YA novels that fit the bill. The Medici Heist by screenwriter Caitlin Schneiderhan (Stranger Things) introduces a teen gang of con artists attempting to rob Pope Leo X and the Medici family of the indulgence money the Pope has been extorting from his subjects. Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies by Abigail Hing Wen find four teens on the run to escape with coins that contain digital codes to a cryptocurrency account. Heir Apparently, the sequel to The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell, once again pairs Chicago teen Wren Wheeler with the heir to the British throne for a page turning adventure. Thieves Gambit, the first in a duology by Kayvion Lewis, pits master thieves against each other in a fast-paced heist competition.
The Medici Heist is set in 1517 Florence when Pope Leo X and the Medici family return to take up the reins of power. Con artist Rosa Cellini, in an effort to gain revenge, plans a heist to steal the indulgence money the Pope has been extorting from people. She enlists the help of master of disguise Giacomo, prize fighter Khalid, Sara the Tinkerer, and Agata an alchemist. Each member of the team has complications of their own that motive them, but also threaten to derail the plan. Rosa also enlists the help of Michelangelo and his assistant to gain access to the palace. Information about the politics surrounding the preunification of the Italian city-states is neatly woven into the narrative. As Rosa and the crew infiltrate the family guard, disarm Leonardo da Vinci's traps and deftly evade capture, they execute the meticulously planned financial ruin of the papacy.
Kisses, Codes and Conspiracies begins with prom dates Tan Lee and Winter Woo agreeing to remain platonic friends, even though their attraction is real. Although Winter and her mom rent rooms from the Lees, she and Tan manage to avoid each other until his parents and her mom decide to go to Hawaii for a conference, leaving them alone with his five-year-old sister Sana. Things go smoothly until Tan's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Tseng arrives at the house, looking to hide from her father's wealthy goons. She has three gold coins with her that she wants to pawn, promising she will disappear as soon as she gets the money. Unbeknownst to Rebecca the coins are actually housing digital codes to her father's cryptocurrency accounts. Cryptography enthusiast Tan recognizes this, but before he can break the codes, her father's goons arrive, causing the four kids to go on the run to protect the coins.
Heir Apparently finds Wren Wheeler back in Chicago wondering if she really is married to Prince Theo, heir to the British throne. Hearing that he is in Canada, she travels with her sister and best friend to see him and reclaim the dog she left behind when they parted in Greece. Theo convinces her to return to London with him to deal with their marriage mystery, but their plane crashes near a deserted island with an active volcano. They must find food and water, tend to injured passengers and find a means of escape before the volcano erupts. Once again the book is peppered with witty dialogue and romance. Although readers don't need to read the first book in the duology, familiarity with the characters will make readers more engaged with the couple in this fast-paced action adventure.
Thieves Gambit introduces Black Bahamian 17-yr-old Ross Quest who comes from a family of master thieves. She has been invited to the ultimate heist competition, but all she really wants is to escape her family, lead a normal life and find friends. However, on their last heist Ross's mother is kidnapped with a billion-dollar ransom. Ross's only option is to compete in and win the quest, which promises the winner any wish they want. Her childhood nemesis, Noelia, and Devroe, a charming Black British thief, are among the competitors. As the Gambit moves from one heist to another, Ross is confused as to who to trust, including her mother. The sequel Heist Royale, in which she and Devroe must team up to work for the Gambit, comes out November 12, 2024.
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