Keepers of the Labyrinth

Gr 5–8—After her mother apparently commits suicide by hanging herself, Lilith Bennette starts running every night at midnight. Her father, meanwhile, plays his guitar and checks his email. This night is different, however, since the next day Lil is off to her mother's homeland of Crete to attend Future Leaders International. She is hoping to find some connection to her mom in the place that the woman had gone as a child. When Lil arrives, she is quickly taken aback when she spies the symbol from her mother's pendant that went missing upon her death. Lil doesn't have much time to think, as the next day all of the girls attending FLI are thrown into a competition of sorts that highlights not only teamwork, but skill sets involving history, science and technology, combat and art. Lil's own group is comprised of a diverse set of girls and they are hopeful about their chances. FLI is more than what it seems—harboring long-held secrets and differing agendas from those presented. Soon Lil and her companions are faced with life and death challenges that are all tied to Greek mythology, and which are somehow tied to Lil's own mother's death. Set over the course of just a few days, the action starts quite quickly and continues throughout at a brisk pace.