I, Q Book 2: The White House is a fast-moving paperback novel for young adults that your young adult will not want to put down! This is a thrilling caper that takes place in the White House after 2001. Mr. Smith wrote another I, Q book before this one, but you could read this second one first without consequence.

Here is a quick synopsis: There is a mole in the White House. Two teenagers, Angela and Q, along with the president's son "PK," are on the hunt to find out who it is. Q and Angela find themselves at the White House because Q's mom and Angela's dad, now married, are in a rock band and are preparing to perform at the White House. Some members of the team in the rock band are actually spies trying to find terrorists. Angela and her new stepbrother Q are summoned to see the President of the United States in the middle of the night to discuss the mole.

There are many questions to answer. Who is the mole? Will there be an attack? Is Angela's mother, a Secret Service agent, really dead? How does "PK" disappear in the White House?

Besides using I, Q Book 2: The White House as a pleasure reading book, you could use it alongside a study of the White House, or a study of the post-9/11 United States. The teenagers in the story are affected by terrorism, so your child will need a working knowledge of 9/11 in order to understand the plot.

The audience for this book is junior high and up. I couldn't steal away enough minutes to read it quickly enough! It is a riveting book. There is suspense, adventure, and a bit of U.S. history. By far, this is my favorite book of the year.

While my daughter is capable of reading the book, I think I will wait a few more years before giving it to her. I will need to build up her knowledge of the happenings in the United States on September 11, 2001 and what has happened since then nationally in the name of protecting the citizens against acts of terrorism. Once that is accomplished, I think she will love this book. The characters are believable, and the plot is dynamic.

Mr. Smith wrote a suspenseful, adventure-filled book that young adults will not be able to put down--and neither will you! Great job!

Product review by Maggi Beardsley, The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, LLC, September 2010