High-school senior Kamran Smith is motivated, scholastically and athletically successful, and has a girlfriend. Then his older brother, Darius, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Ranger whom he idolizes, is accused of defecting to al-Qaeda. No sooner has Kamran begun to cope with the immediate personal fallout of lost friendships, reporters camped on his family's doorstep, and his own doubts about his brother than he himself is kidnapped the federal government. Gratz plunges likable Kamran into a series of fast-paced, political-thriller adventures. The wide cast of characters includes a former CIA operative with Belfast roots; a PTSD-suffering, disgraced ex-Ranger; and an agent who shares with Kamran her feelings about her Middle Eastern heritage, particularly how it has no bearing on her American citizenship and patriotism. Government secret ops, terrorist infiltration, boyhood games featuring Star Wars tropes, and a rich description of Kamran's emotional experience combine into a brisk, eye-opening morality tale and satisfying suspense story. Pair this with Michael Koryta's Alex Award winning Those Who Wish Me Dead (2014).

Gr 8 Up-An Arab American teen, Kamran has always considered himself fully Americana high school star football player who dates one of the most popular girls and a homecoming king contender. He plans to attend West Point for college, like his army officer brother, Darius. All of this changes when authorities identify his brother as a deserter and terrorist, responsible for the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Turkey and the deaths of 53 people. Life takes on nightmarish proportions when Kamran is first ostracized by his friends and classmates and then taken into custody and held as a prisoner by the U.S. government. Despite days of questioning and watching videos of Darius, the teen refuses to acknowledge that his brother is a terrorist. As he pays closer attention to the videos, he realizes that his brother is trying to give him information about terrorist plans by using scenarios from games the two used to play and the Code of Honor they signed when they were children. With help from surprising sources, Kamran escapes and heads out to find his sibling. Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene. The well-developed protagonist reacts in typical teen fashion, with anger, doubt, rage, and faith in his brother. This action-packed novel will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust. VERDICT A winner for independent reading and deeper discussion with its timely topic, strong writing, and appealing characters. Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas