While serving as co-editors of their school newspaper, middle-schoolers Adam and Jennifer uncover fraud and corruption in their school and in the city's government. Late for math club, late for jazz band, late for soccer-Adam Canfield has to be the most overprogrammed middle-school student in America. So when super-organized Jennifer coaxes him to be coeditor of the Slash-Harris Elementary/Middle School's student newspaper-he wonders if he's made a big mistake. Not only do editors get stuck with assigning stories (like an investigative report on the edibility of cafeteria food), but they also have to deal with annoying third graders like Phoebe, always pushing for a front-page slot. But when Phoebe's article on Eddie the janitor leads to a much bigger scoop-an eccentric woman's mysterious gift to the school-Adam and Jennifer rise to the challenge, risking their principal's wrath to uncover some shocking secrets. Along with a charming cast of characters and plenty of kid-friendly humor, New York Times education columnist Michael Winerip sneaks in some lessons about truth and cover-ups, personal integrity, and the rush that comes from breaking a really great story.

A Junior Library Guild selection.