An Edgar Award Winner for Juvenile Fiction Florian Bates—the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial and several international criminals’ most wanted lists—must uncover the truth behind a series of middle school pranks that may or may not involve the daughter of the President of the United States in this hilarious second novel in the Framed! series. Middle school is hard. Solving cases for the FBI is even harder. Doing both at the same time—well that’s just crazy. But that doesn’t stop Florian Bates! After helping the FBI solve an art theft at the National Gallery and uncovering a DC spy ring, Florian’s finding life at Alice Deal Middle School a little boring. But that’s all about to change! His FBI handler, Marcus, has a job for him! Is it a bank robbery? Counterfeit ring? International espionage? Actually it’s middle school pranks… Sounds pretty ordinary except that the pranks are happening at a prestigious private school attended by the President’s daughter who may—or may not—be involved. So Florian and Margaret are going undercover to see if they can use their TOAST skills to figure out what’s going on before the media gets hold of the story. However, once the crime-solving pair arrive at the school, they discover that there’s a lot more than a few pranks going on and the conspiracy of silence reaches all the way to the top. Then a student vanishes in the middle of a concert at the Kennedy Center and things take a sinister turn! Can Florian and Margaret save the day? Or are they about to get toasted? Gr 5–7—A kid FBI agent takes on a new assignment in the second installment of this series starring Florian Bates. The president's daughter might be involved in some pranks, and Florian and his best friend Margaret go undercover as exchange students at a posh private school to find out what is going on. Florian befriends a quiet violin prodigy from China, who vanishes mysteriously. Is Yin's disappearance related to the POTUS's daughter? And what about the school bully and heiress, Victoria? Ponti drops plenty of clues and red herrings so that readers can sleuth along with the protagonist. Florian has enough flaws to be likable, though several minor characters are broad stereotypes. Most readers will be surprised by the twist ending. VERDICT A fast-paced story for those who can't get enough mystery. An additional purchase for large collections.—Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix As in Framed! (2016), fast brain- and footwork saves the day at the last moment, but watching Florian wow everyone . . . with Holmes-style connecting of dots along the way is just as satisfying. A splendid whodunit: cerebral, exhilarating, low in violence, methodical in construction, and occasionally hilarious. ― Kirkus Reviews, Starred Mystery buffs and fans of Anthony Horowitz’s “Alex Rider” series are in for a treat. . . . With elements of Alex Rider, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes stories, this is likely to be popular with mystery and action/adventure fans. -- School Library Journal ― School Library Journal on Framed! The implications Florian draws from focusing on minute details are lots of fun, and if upon reflec- tion readers realize that Ponti is in authorial control of Florian’s brilliance, well . . . it worked for Arthur Conan Doyle, too. EB -- BCCB ― Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books on Framed!, June 2016 Florian resembles a young Sherlock Holmes, and together he and Margaret use the TOAST technique to prove that things are not always as they first appear. This book will grab readers from the first page with its witty characters and non-stop action. It would be a great read for fans of Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2005). ― School Library Connection on Framed! James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of four middle grade book series: The Sherlock Society following a group of young detectives; City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists, and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy–nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com. Vanished! 1. The Zodiac MIDDLE SCHOOL IS HARD. Solving cases for the FBI is even harder. Doing both at the same time, well, that’s just crazy. Trust me, I know. My name’s Florian Bates, I’m twelve years old, and along with my best friend, Margaret, I’m a consulting detective for the Bureau’s Special Projects Team. We assist the FBI, the same way