Nine Days

Washington Post editor Hiatt draws inspiration from actual events in this tense tale of international intrigue. Sophomore Ethan Wynkoop's interest in China leads him to befriend Ti-Anna Chen, whose father is an exiled Chinese activist. When Ti-Anna's father goes missing while visiting Hong Kong, Ethan and Ti-Anna embark on a bold, foolhardy plan to track him down. Using forged documents and a borrowed credit card, they travel across the world, their search taking them to Hong Kong, and later to Vietnam. As they unravel the secret of Mr. Chen's disappearance, they get caught up in a human trafficking operation that could spell the end to their journey. Detail-rich and character-driven, this story showcases issues like human rights violations and slavery; abundant references to Chinese political history saturate Hiatt's prose, but the narrative avoids becoming overly erudite, balancing education and adventure. Even the hard-to-swallow elements%E2%80%94namely, how the teens get as far as they do%E2%80%94are handled believably and with repercussions. A captivating thriller grounded in real-world problems. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. Agent: Raphael Sagalyn, Sagalyn Literary Agency. (Apr.)