Masterminds: Criminal Destiny

Gr 4–7—Continuing where Masterminds (HarperCollins, 2015) left off, this narrative follows Eli, Malik, Tori, and Amber, who are on the run after discovering that they are clones of criminal masterminds. They must come to terms with what they are and the fact that their lives up to this point have been a sham. They hope to expose Project Osiris and their hometown of Serenity while simultaneously trying to navigate the real world and escape the Purple People Eaters, who are trying to stop them. Step one of their plan is to find the billionaire Tamara Dunleavy, who once funded Project Osiris, to help prove their story. To succeed, they may have to act like the criminals from whom they were cloned. Told from alternating perspectives like its predecessor, Korman's sequel maintains the same fast-paced, witty storytelling. Though a lot of the plot is far-fetched, it doesn't take away from the fun. This is a truly engaging tale with relatable characters. Readers will have to start with the first book to understand what is going on, and with another cliff-hanger ending, it is clear this is not the end of the line for Eli, Malik, Tori, and Amber.