The Mystery of the Masked Medalist
(Kudo Kids #1)

Gr 3-6--Siblings Andy and Mika Kudo are thrilled to travel to Tokyo for the Olympics with their journalist parents. Their excitement over sightseeing and watching Olympic events is heightened by OlympiFan, an augmented reality game that they will play during their visit. The game encourages teamwork and fair play, with clues hidden all around Tokyo that players can find either by physically visiting sites, or by using the virtual reality mode from home. But not all of the players are interested in playing fair. One player's account is hacked and clues are stolen, and Mika gets some strange and slightly creepy private messages. Who is trying to cheat at the game? Is the same person sending Mika messages? And who is the Masked Medalist who created the game in the first place? This topical mystery has a solid plot and good pacing, and will appeal to those fascinated by Tokyo and the Olympics. Young readers will wish that they could both play OlympiFan and taste the delicious foods that the Kudo kids sample in Tokyo. This book incorporates modern technology believably, and though the kids have some freedom to explore their surroundings, they also have a realistic degree of parental supervision. VERDICT As interest in the Tokyo Olympics runs high, this title will do well, especially with mystery lovers.--Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH

This swiftly paced caper by the Shibutanis, siblings who have won multiple Olympic and world medals for ice dancing, launches a mystery series starring Mika and Andy Kudo, Japanese American siblings from Los Angeles. Visiting Tokyo to attend the Summer Olympics with their travel-writer father and editor mother, who's covering the event for a sports website, the kids delve into a hot new augmented reality game, OlympiFan. Their mission involves locating three virtual medals--bronze, silver, and gold--hidden throughout Tokyo, which contain hints to help them identity the former Olympic medalist who created the game and thus win the competition. Tangential plot threads augment the intrigue as the authors explore the possibility that someone may be sabotaging the game, and introduce competing young gamers and past medalists attending the Olympics. The siblings' own moral conundrums add dimension: to enter a photography contest, Mika defies her parents' dictate and surreptitiously opens an Instagram account, and she, Andy, and their game rivals deliberate what constitutes cheating. Final illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (May)