The Secret Notebook

Middle Grade Mojo is proud to announce the release of the debut novel of Mojo member, Debbie D'Aurelio! We're super proud of her and we love this book! The first place 12-year-old Riley Green goes when she arrives at her school is to the STEM lab to show her favorite teacher her invention for the Invention Convention. But when her teacher opens the door to the classroom, Riley forgets all about her invention. The classroom has been ransacked! A disturbing message is scrawled on the white board-- "CEASE AND DESIST OR DIE". Apparently, someone wanted something important and thought Riley's teacher had it. Later that night, Riley finds out what. Her teacher had slipped a notebook into Riley's backpack with a note that reads "Give this book to the Professor." This isn't just any notebook, but the personal notes of Nikola Tesla! Riley is going to need the help of her friends Henry and Charlotte to find her now-missing teacher and figure out who the professor is and keep a priceless artifact safe from whoever has threatened to kill for it. Set in Washington D. C. and New York, the young sleuths visit museums and libraries and even Wardenclyffe (Tesla's workshop) while they try to find their teacher and save the notebook. Besides the mystery, readers will enjoy the fascinating information about Nikola Tesla. Readers will also enjoy getting to know Riley Green, a precocious, but insecure girl, who like a lot of middle school kids, feels like she doesn't truly belong. Even with a few tense situations, the humorous tone keeps it from being too frightening so it's great for readers ages eight and up. And the fast-paced action and fun historical and science facts makes this a perfect book for reluctant readers.--Kim Zachman "Middle-Grade Mojo"
Riley is a STEM loving, spy-in-training inventor that kids will love. An "electric" debut!-- "Lisa Lewis Tyre, award-winning author of Hope in the Holler"