Florian Bates may seem like a normal 12-year-old, but with his uncanny ability to see the little details and see the connections, he catches the attention of the FBI. That’s when Florian’s life gets a little more interesting and he gets to use his Sherlock Holmes-like abilities for more than just fitting in at his new school in this first novel of a series, FRAMED!, by James Ponti. He even has his own theory TOAST (Theory Of All Small Things) he gets to test out, which makes him seem like an even more sleuthing genius. And luckily, this also leads him to his first friend in Washington DC, which is always a nice bonus when you are the new kid in town.

As Florian gets to know his surroundings, he teaches his new friend, Margaret how to use his theory. It’s fun to see how by teaching her, Florian becomes even better at what he does and Margaret proves to be an invaluable side-kick. But then the FBI enters the picture and Florian gets to help solve the case of a lifetime. Tie in a worried mom and dad (homework before FBI work is a set rule), Eastern European mafia, and a kidnapping attempt, and this novel will keep you turning pages.

FRAMED! is a fun, fast-paced, mystery that really does keep the reader guessing. Perfect for those precocious, mystery-loving young readers, this novel will be eagerly read, and it seems to be set up for the next in the series so there is more to come.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  1 religious exclamation. 

Violence/Gore:  Character tackled to the ground, knocked out and kidnapped; character twists someone’s fingers in a painful way to get their point across; character says they are willing to ‘use their boots’ to teach someone a lesson. 

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Theft, organized crime.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None