5th Graders Contemplate Growing Up in a "Perfect" Town Amid a Clever Conspiracy, Cloning, and a Connection to Criminal Masterminds

Hello Readers!

This week 5th grade book club members are discussing middle-grade thriller, Masterminds by (author of more that 80 books, including 39 Clues, Schooled, and Ungifted).

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grow up in a perfect world? Would it be ideal to live in a utopia, sheltered from evil and assured that honesty and trust were the foundation of all you would ever know? Truth and happiness between friends, teachers and students, parents and children. Sounds dreamy, right?

The main character in Masterminds, Eli Frieden, lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. In this idyllic place, every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a tree house. The thirty kids who live there never lie - they know it's a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else.

Eli has never left Serenity… why would he ever want to? One day he bikes to the edge of the city limits, and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents.

With a story full of plot twists, adventure, and characters you love, we are sure to have a lively discussion full of "What if ...?" and "Can you believe ...?" moments. To preview discussion questions, click here. Visit the Grade 5 page to link to more information about the talented Gordon Korman as well as links to the next book in the Masterminds series.

Happy reading!