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James Ponti is one of my favorite authors and I am thrilled to be reviewing his book, Framed. He wrote this book in 2017, and this is the first book in a mystery trilogy.

This is an exciting novel because you can try to solve the mysteries with the young protagonist, Florian Bates. He is an extremely observant 12-year-old boy who is a seventh grader at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C. His family moved there because his parents’ jobs, working in museums, required them to live there. Florian is an only child, and his parents are used to him having knowledge of things that seem impossible, because his “detective” work is incredible. He seems to be a genius with the way that he pieces together different possibilities to find the answer to his curiosities.

At the beginning of the book, Florian is only expecting to focus on grades, not focus on solving mysteries to save the country. But when he teaches his new friend Margaret about TOAST, the Theory of All Small Things, a technique he invented to solve life's little mysteries, they uncover a mystery that is not so little. This mystery involves missing art worth sixty-five million dollars at the National Gallery, the FBI, uncovering a secret Chinese Government operation, a notorious crime syndicate called EEL, kidnapping, finding a friend’s parent who abandoned them, and a whole lot of people getting TOASTed.

Florian will outsmart many people, including two new recruits who participate in a challenge with him. As they act all macho and look at him as if he is a dumb kid, Florian solves the fake case in a second. He will impress people in the book and out of it, in every page being read.

Florian’s new friend, Margaret, becomes his best friend, and they stay together every step of the mystery. Margaret is an African American girl who goes to his new school and has braces. She is friendly, smart, loyal, and most importantly she and Florian have fun together while they solve each mystery.

Florian also becomes friends with a tall African American man, Special Agent Marcus Rivers, who helps him solve the mysteries as well. He pretty much acts as the adult authority when the youth go somewhere they aren’t supposed to be. Most of the way, the Special Agent and two young FBI consultants are the main investigators, but they also have some major help along the way. This help comes from a few FBI agents, museum directors, and criminal masterminds.

You will be wrapped up in this enticing mystery novel that will always keep you guessing and wondering how you could have missed a little detail that changes the crime. 

I absolutely recommend this book for other middle-school and teen readers who love to laugh when a kid outsmarts an adult and leaves them clueless. I rate this book at a 10/10, and I loved it so much that I read it multiple times. If you enjoy this book, you won’t want to miss the other two books in the trilogy, Vanished and Trapped.

Check out Framed! from the Newport Beach Public Library!