I've Got an Idea

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Alex is the top student in his class, and his best friend, Sam, is “an
honest to goodness genius.” Sometimes Sam’s ingenious plans do get
them into trouble, but when the principal describes the pair as
“dangerous” Alex is quite surprised. This description intrigues
Twilight Stevens, the new girl with the brilliant red hair, rock-star
attitude, and a history of troublemaking. Twilight invites the boys to
go a rock concert in New York City, and when her father has to cancel,
the kids devise a plan to go on their own. The trip is as exciting as
they had hoped it would be, and then some. With a little luck they
manage to get home safely, but not without their parents finding out.
Yet after a few weeks of being grounded, Sam already has a new idea for
this adventurous trio.

All of the elements of this story combine perfectly to create a
fun-to-read book. The naive genius, the sensitive and slightly paranoid
smart kid, and the street-smart, confident girl are easily identifiable
stereotypes whose interaction with one another creates a great deal of
comedy, and at the same time the characters’ idiosyncrasies are also
very humanizing and touching—although Alex’s fearful fretting does
get a little tiring. The plot moves quickly, and the action is
entertaining and visually amusing. The setting is exciting, and the
suspense of the adventure of kids coping as adults is sure to be popular
with young readers. Recommended.