Theft of the Ruby Lotus

Life. Is. Over. Ria’s mom lost her job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and took one in Germany. Germany! While her mom is setting up a new home across the ocean, a large and possibly stolen artifact shows up in the mailbox, looking suspiciously like the Heart of the Ruby Lotus missing from the museum, and perhaps at the bottom of her mom’s dismissal. Ría decides to get to the bottom of the mystery…and maybe save herself from a move across the Atlantic. She enlists the help of her besties, Miracle and Annie, to figure out what happened the day her mom was let go, and to save the artifact and return it to its rightful place.

Ria is a snarky but fun 8th grader, perfectly portrayed in this so-far standalone title. Her goal of returning cultural artifacts to their country of origin is inspiring without being preachy. A great mystery and heist, this is perfect for readers who enjoyed Stuart Gibbs’s Charlie Thorne series and James Ponti’s //City Spies//.