Hide and Geek (Hide and Geek #1)

Known for bestselling 3-D puzzle the Bamboozler, the Van Houten Toy and Game Company—and Elmwood, N.H., where the company is based—has been in decline ever since the business’s founder died and her children took over. With the company on the verge of shutdown, the town’s only hope for continuation is for someone to solve the clues Maxine left behind and find her fabled fortune. Enter the GEEKs, a quartet of 11-year-old friends: white actor and musical theater lover Edgar Feingarten, Latinx scientist and prankster Elena Hernández, Black-cued math genius and three-time class president Kevin Robinson, and white aspiring journalist Gina Sparks. If the town continues to decline and their parents have to seek new jobs elsewhere, they’ll be split up, so they vow to locate the treasure and save the town—but they’re not the only ones on the hunt. In a brain-teasing race against time, the intrepid four delve into Elmwood, whose past and present is filled with colorful characters and intriguing locations, such as a long-abandoned amusement park, Bamboozleland, and a defunct theater. For fans of the Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series, Jagger’s quick-paced debut pays homage to small towns and big riddles. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)