What is the most boring book in the world? Luke thinks it's The Last of the Mohicans, because that's the book he's been assigned to read. The only way to get out of reading it, according to his very generous principal, is if he can actually prove that it is indeed the most boring book in the world. As Luke googles away, he knows he's out of luck, because a book called Leonardo's River has already claimed the title. It has something to do with Leonardo Da Vinci supposedly, but the book is so boring that during its printing, when the printer started to read it, he fell asleep, a fire broke out and only one copy of the book survived. This one copy has gone missing too, and some guy is offering one million dollars for it. All this just means Luke is going to spend his summer reading The Last of the Mohicans...except during a library book rescue from the raging flood in his town, he found Leonardo's River, and this little discovery is going to keep him busy all summer long. Along with his best bud Tommy, he's going to have to rescue his kidnapped teacher, keep the hands of the bad guys off the rarest book in the world, decipher the mystery inside the book, evade remaining members of a dangerous secret organization, and worst of all, Luke may have to visit the library and do some reading.  Tommy tries to convince him that it's "research", stuff spies do all the time, but who is he trying to kid?
New Zealander Brian Falkner, author of The Tomorrow Code and Brain Jack, puts together a book with all the right elements for boys: plenty of chase scenes and bullets flying all over the place, a bad guy's evil plan to rewrite history, and Luke and Tommy are two funny guys and two great friends.  The most holding-my-breath scene is definitely the train stuck in the tunnel one, where Luke has to enter the lion's den so to speak.  The excerpt from Leonardo's River is quite something... and sadly not too far from some "real" books out there. Some reviewers complain that readers have to suspend their beliefs frequently, but I'm willing to overlook some of the "conveniences" in the plot.