The Secret Box

The Amazing Race meets The Mysterious Benedict Society with a twist of magical mythology in this hilarious middle-grade caper about a strange locked box that transforms the lives of three kids. The Secret Box is the first in an irresistible middle-grade trilogy that combines the magic of 11 Birthdays with the adventure of the Genius Files series and humorous quirk worthy of Trenton Lee Stewart. The page-turning mystery, alternating girl and boy narrators, and clever incorporation of mythology are sure to delight-and lingering questions will leave readers eager for more. On her 12th birthday Jax Malone receives a surprise gift from her estranged Great-Aunt Juniper: a mysterious locked box that will only open in one location. If Jax's mom hadn't tried to return it, Jax would have assumed it was just another boring present to add to the most boring, un-magical birthday ever. Instead, Jax decides she must open the box. So she recruits her reluctant cousin Ethan and his obnoxious, computer-genius older brother Tyler to help find the site where the box will open. But what starts as a fun adventure quickly turns crazy, even dangerous, when Jax, Ethan, and Tyler learn that the box was not intended as a gift, but as a call for help from an ancient magical source thought to only exist in myth. "This mystery unfolds before your eyes in a series of cliffhangers that build up to a blow-your-mind ending. Wanting to know the secret kept me turning the pages."-Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of the Genius Files series