In the Middle Monday/Review of IQ Book Two: The White House by Roland Smith

Book Two takes us on another thrilling caper, this time to the White House where Q and Angela continue their quest to uncover the truth behind the supposed death of Angela's real mother - a former Secret Service agent - while trying to differentiate the "good guys" from the "bad guys."

Last summer I read Roland Smith’s first book in the IQ series, IQ Book One: Independence Hall and was so excited about the book that I immediately put it on the 2010 Area Wide Book Battle. Since then, I have been anxiously awaiting book two in the series IQ Book Two: The White House.  Once again, Smith has written an exciting edge-of-your seat adventure that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go until the very end.

Book Two in the series takes up where book one left off. Quest Munoz (Q) and his step-sister Angela have arrived at the White House with their rocker parent’s band, and the secret service staff that is protecting them. Q and Angela are both great characters. I loved how the two of them interact with each other and the various secondary characters in the book. I was particularly fond of a new character in this book Willingham, the president’s kid, (PK) for short. He is quite intelligent and keeps Q and Angela on their toes throughout the book. Roland also gives a lot more background information about Anglea’s mother, Malak, a former Secret Service agent, who in book one made a startling appearance at the very end; startling because she was supposed to be dead. Malak’s role in book two is much more significant because she is undercover posing as her twin sister and is trying to discover the head of a terrorist cell. The setting takes place primarily at the White House and various locations around D.C.  This was a very fast read as I finished it in one sitting.

I do have a couple of problems with the book, however. First, if you have not read book one, then the beginning of book two will be difficult to understand. It took me a while to get into it even though I read the first book.  The other problem is that the ending is a cliff-hanger, which means that I will probably have to wait another year before finding out what happens next.

IQ Book Two: The White House is definitely a book that will appeal to the middle school audience because the plot moves at a break neck pace and the characters are likable. I would, however, recommend that anyone reading this series read book one first.