Independence Hall (I, Q Series, Book #1) by Roland Smith

Independence Hall (I, Q Series, Book #1) by Roland Smith is about teens Quest (Q for short) and Angela. Q's rocker mother marries Angela's songwriter father after the duo's band became extremely successful. They decide to go on tour across country in a giant tour bus, bringing the kids along. Little did they know that Angela and Q were delving into Angela's deceased mother's old occupation: secret service agent and spy! When an ancient old roadie named Boone suddenly appears just when the family needs them, things really begin to get strange. It turns out, Boone isn't who he says he is, and he's got some information about Angela's mother - not only might she not be dead, she might be a terrorist... and Boone and his team are not the only people who know. Angela and Q are being tracked by a team of known terrorists and it's Boone's job to protect them, while making sure that Q's mom and Angela's dad don't find out.

This was an action packed read! I really liked the story about the two parents and their successes in the band together as well as the other story about Angela's mom/aunt and the terrorists. This is the first book in the I, Q series - book #2 is called The White House.

Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements

Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements is the sequel to Things Not Seen. It's been 2 years since Bobby turned invisible and back, and he's been studying music seriously. He comes to New York to try out at some prestigious music schools and meets Gwen. Gwen has been living with her grandfather in New York and going to a private performing arts school on a scholarship. It is her senior year, and she is focused on her try outs at Juliard and other music schools. Her dreams of playing her violin in an orchestra become jeopardized when her grandfather mysteriously disappears. He leaves a very strange message on their answering machine one afternoon, a week away from the Juliard try out, and simply vanishes. Thankfully, Gwen meets Bobby, who now goes by Robert, and the immediately get along. She convinces him to stay with her in her grandfather's house so she doesn't have to be alone - just until grandfather comes back. Unfortunately, things go wrong a few days before her big audition. Grandfather comes back (sort of), a strange invisible man begins stalking Robert, and Gwen's Uncle Hank keeps trying to force her grandfather to sell the house - and he's getting tired of being put off.

I liked this book, but not as much as I liked Things Not Seen. I really liked Gwen, and I liked finding out what happened to Bobby and Alicia. The twists and turns in Things Hoped For were CRAZY and unexpected. They added a lot to my interest in the story.