Carmen Sandiego: Secrets of the Silver Lion written by Emma Otheguy, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Vile stole the throne of  King Felipe IV of Spain in 1621 from a New York museum.  On it are 3 hallowed out inlays for 3 silver symbols, two of which were stolen back in King Felipe’s time. One of them was found and Vile has stolen it too.  Carmen and friends fly to Spain to steal them back.  She is up against her arch rival Paperstar from days together in Vile training.  They constantly competed against each other in school and the animosity towards each other has not changed.  They must find this throne and all its components and return it to the people of Bolivia.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Carmen’s feelings about being latin and stolen away in Argentina by Vile are surfacing in this caper. She’s longing to know who her parents were and to dig deeper into her family history.  Something several adopted teenagers have in common.  Students enjoy the mystery and the good vs evil in Carmen books.  As they run through Spain and Bolivia, they learn about the people and customs.  It would be a great addition to any social studies unit.  Detective-mystery books will always be desired in a school library and Carmen Sandiego books are like the old time Nancy Drew.   Highly Recommended.