Masterminds 01

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

The first book in a thrilling high-concept middle grade series from bestselling author Gordon Korman—about a group of kids who discover that they are cloned from criminal masterminds

Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. In this idyllic place, every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a tree house. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.

Eli has never left Serenity...why would he ever want to? Then one day he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal, crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents....

This is the first book in a thrilling new series from bestselling (noncriminal) mastermind Gordon Korman.

About the Author

Gordon Korman has written more than seventy middle-grade and teen novels, including the New York Times bestselling The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, Book One: The Medusa Plot; the Swindle series; Ungifted; the Island series, Pop; Schooled; No More Dead Dogs; Son of the Mob; and many other favorites. Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, NY. You can visit him online at www.gordonkorman.com.