January (Conspiracy 365)
As gimmicks go, it’s a good one: each month of 2010, one title in the 12-book Conspiracy 365 series will be released. The ticking clock (or calendar, in this case) is introduced immediately when a strange man accosts 15-year-old Callum Ormond on the street, shouting, “Get away! Hide and lay low until midnight December 31st of next year.” It’s good advice, because the following day, January 1st, includes a boat wreck, shark attack, and helicopter rescue—and that’s just for starters. Soon Callum is fleeing unknown assailants who are framing him for the attack of his little sister and uncle Rafe (a shady character himself). It all has to do with something called the Ormond Singularity and a group of sketches Callum’s father gave him before dying of a mysterious illness. This is the kind of stuff that stretches credibility with every page, but continual time updates (“12:00 a.m.,” “12:13 a.m.,” etc.) at least create a sense of continual motion. The conclusion offers no answers, just the requisite cliff-hanger. Grades 4-6. --Daniel Kraus