The Copernicus Legacy: The Golden Vendetta, written by Tony Abbott, MacLeod Andrews, et al., reviewed by Debra Gantz

Summary:  This third novel of a trilogy has the Kaplan family on the hunt for a relic that seems to have been designed by the great Leonardo da Vinci. Of course, their nemesis, Galina Krause and her lackeys are in hot pursuit. In this edition there is talk of the goal to stop Galina's endgame which is sure to be devastating to all as her willingness to kill and control those around her and likely to destroy the artifacts the Guardians, like da Vinci himself, have spent generations trying to protect will require the Kaplans and other guardians to risk their lives, solve puzzles, and travel the globe under aliases to try not to attract Galina's compatriots. Will they succeed?

Straight Talk for Librarians:  I was hooked on this book immediately despite having never read the other 2 in this series. Though I am not sure my students will know about Copernicus or Da Vinci and the connections to art and history, I do believe a good adventure with researchable connections will engage those up for this kind of reading challenge. The plot is complex and the moving parts are engaging and thought provoking. This brought me back to my book fair in about 2003 when I sold out of Dan Brown's DaVinci code multiple times in my Scholastic Book Fair as it was THE book everyone was talking about. From the art history to the dangerous adventures and the historical secrets, this book will engage strong readers or families who like to share longer books out loud. This book will certainly satisfy my voracious readers of Erin Hunter, Rick Riordan, and J.K. Rowling. I will add the series to my library and recommend it to all the elementary and middle school librarians in my district!