One of the reasons I love serving on the Rhode Island Teen Book Award Committee is that it exposes me to so many interesting books that I would probably not have heard of or at least not picked up on my own. Not all of them are worthy enough to make it to the list, but they are still great reads, all the same. I think this one might make the list for 2011, but only time will tell.

Set in Manhattan, this is the story of four seventh grade girls who are attending a private school (St. Veronica's). It is not one of those city schools for the wealthy and privileged, though, which allows the book to have that "sweet" sense that encapsulates being a middle schooler.

The narrator is Sophie St. Pierre. She is really hoping to be a writer one day, and this is an attempt at taking that old advice about "writing what you know." Her two best friends are Rebecca Chen, who has artistic aspirations, and Margaret Wrobel, a girl of Polish descent who is stressing over the fact her grandmother has moved in.

The three girls find themselves drawn into a mystery after visiting Ms. Harriman, an eccentric lady who lives next door to their school and the attached church. While exploring books from in her home library, Ms. Harriman has come across a card written from her father to her daughter. It was carefully hidden in a favorite book for her daughter just before her 16th birthday to kick off a treasure hunt that would lead to her birthday gift. Unfortunately, through fate, the card was not found until 20 years later. Now Ms. Harriman is hoping the girls, who are quite bright, will help sort out the mystery.

Through following clues provided by the card and those found as each step of the treasure hunt is completed, the girls make their way toward finding the goal. They are joined by Leigh Ann Jamimes, their class mate and actress supreme, during the hunt. Together they use math, language, history, and literature knowledge to sort everything out.

Throughout the course of the mystery, they must balance the demands it places on their time with their classes and personal lives. They also find themselves in no shortage of nail-biting moments as they explore the church and nearby areas to locate each solution.

As a group, the girls are fun, realistic, and very funny. They are surrounded by a large number of interesting characters ranging from their parents to the various church officials and even their literature teacher. The clues they must draw from are not overly complex, but would likely prove challenging for most girls their age, and I think that most readers will find the book to be a fun and interesting read.

I would definitely have no problem in recommending this one. My only complaint, really is the cover. While it does a nice job of capturing the noir feeling and merging it with a sense of Nancy Drew or Scooby-Doo, it does make the book seem like it is for much younger readers. The girls are only twelve, but they seem very young in the image on the cover. It might drive potential readers away.