Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs is a juvenile fiction book for 4-6th graders.
Charlie Thorne is a genius, a thief and... she's twelve years old. She's also the only one with the smarts and the skills to save the world. That's why the CIA is desperate for her help in tracking down Albert Einstein's lost equation--an equation so groundbreaking that whoever finds it first, will become the most powerful in the world.
Einstein was afraid of what would happen if his equation fell into the wrong hands, so he hid it. But now a rouge group called the Furies are after it and the CIA want it first. Charlie isn't sure anyone should have the equation but that doesn't keep her from getting dragged into danger anyway.
She may have the smarts, but will she also have the skill to stay alive and find Einstein's equation before anyone else?
This is your typical spy fiction but for kids. It's got all the elements of your adult books, just written at a juvenile level. Some of the puzzles are even reminiscent of Dan Brown's De Vinci Code. It's not an overly deep read, but it is entertaining and it is always fun to read a book about a kid genius, showing up the adults.
The book itself, is a bit violent and doesn't shy away from some of the harsher realities of spy work... injury, death, deceit, betrayal. But it is fiction and also, not as violent as some of the things on tv these days.
I like Charlie as a character and the evolution of her character and her relationship with Dante as the book progresses. And there was one twist that even I wasn't expecting at the end.
It was also, kind of refreshing to learn about some of the lesser known facts and character traits of Einstein's life in a fun way. I love when fiction gives me some non-fiction knowledge!
This book would appeal to boys and girls, probably 4-6th grade. It is a pretty easy read and one you don't really have to think about if you don't want to. This one get's 3.5 stars from me.
That's all for now!
-M-