THE WRITING ON THE WALL

This sequel to Secrets, Lies, and Algebra (2007) continues the saga of math-obsessed eighth-grader Tess. As she is still being tormented by Richard, whose cheating she helped to expose in Secrets, Tess assumes that the mysterious numbers that appear on the wall near the school are just more of his ubiquitous threats to make her life miserable. However, with the help of steadfast friends Sammy and Miranda, Tess figures out that the codes are actually the work of someone desperate to reveal a secret about a different classmate. Tess deciphers the code and figures out who is writing it, but she gets busted for her graffiti in the process. An entertaining mystery is interspersed with formulas and graphs and weighted down with a little hard-earned wisdom, as Tess comes to a deeper understanding of the need to balance her own desire for freedom of expression with a larger civic responsibility. Good fun for all, and a special treat for those who share Tess’s fascination with figures, facts and formulas. (Fiction. 10-14)