Jake and the League #1: The League and the Lantern

Synopsis:
Epic adventure meets mystery as Jake Herndon and unlikely new friends, Lucy and TJ, unravel incredible family secrets, discover links to the Civil War, and fight for survival on the streets of Chicago. Full of unforgettable characters, unexpected twists, and laugh-out-loud humor.
After a disastrous sixth grade, Jake Herndon is anxiously awaiting his Big Do-Over, starting with his new school's notorious seventh-grade sleepover. Awkward fun soon turns to something more sinister, however, when a dangerous organization invades the party. Jake and two new classmates, Lucy and TJ, barely escape, only to find themselves in a fight for survival on the streets of Chicago. Over the next 48 hours, they unravel a Civil War mystery and learn an incredible secret about Jake s family.

Full of unforgettable characters and unexpected twists, The League and the Lantern is a jaw-dropping ride of mind-bending revelations and laugh-out-loud humor. The debut novel from Brian Wells is the first in the series Jake and the League, an epic adventure about courage, family, and friendship that has 9-to-14-year-olds, entertainment executives, and family groups applauding.

Author Wells believes that great entertainment is driven by memorable characters and imaginative writing, and it shows. The League and the Lantern delivers all of this and more without objectionable language or inappropriate themes. Throw in a plot that traces back to real historical figures and you've got what many are calling Percy Jackson meets Harry Potter and National Treasure.
As a bonus, the book subtly weaves in 140 of the top vocabulary words for middle-school success. A free downloadable study guide is available on the book's website.