Cyberspies (Swift and Hawk #1)

Twelve-year-old best friends Caleb Quinn and Zenobia Rafiq team up to save their kidnapped families in this lively series opener by Macx. After his CIA mother is taken by mercenaries working for mysterious computer scientist Xavier Torrent, hacker and programmer Caleb, successfully eluding capture, meets up with his robotics expert best friend Zenobia for help. He soon learns, however, that Zenobia’s parents were kidnapped by the same crew. When the two approach Prof. Tilda Clay—a teacher at the London-based technology school they both attend—for guidance, she tells them the disappearances are part of a larger scheme, and inducts the tweens into the Möbius Program, a secret intelligence society, as agents Swift and Hawk, instructing them to employ their special skills to help crack the case. Using a unique AI that Caleb inherited from his deceased father, the intrepid duo decode a message that jump-starts an action-packed adventure across Europe. While the technological worldbuilding is intriguing, it’s Caleb and Zenobia’s easy, established camaraderie and shared worry for their loved ones that carry this breakneck techno-thriller. Caleb is white; Zenobia is of Syrian descent; Professor Clay is Black. Ages 9–12. (Nov.)