Ryan Quinn and the Lion's Claw

Gr 4–6—In this second installment, the intrepid Ryan Quinn knows something is going on with the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), the organization that his parents work for. He also knows that his parents are hiding something from him. When a stranger, Lawrence, shows up one night in his house, claiming that his friend and music partner, Nadia, was kidnapped, Ryan gets down to business. His parents are away on other ERC business in Chicago, so Ryan and his friend Danny decide to make themselves honorary members of the ERC by sneaking onto the plane that is taking Nadia to Africa. While trying to save the two musicians, Ryan courageously treks through dangerous but scenic routes in Lovanda and sees firsthand the political unrest there. He also discovers the big secret about his past that his parents have concealed. Meanwhile, his other friend Kasey helps hunt down the traitor who is selling the identities of the ERC rescues. The characters are flat, and there is more telling than showing, but this is a quick, plot-oriented read.