Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy MassLittle, Brown and Company, 2006

It’s a month from Jeremy Fink’s 13th birthday when a mysterious package arrives at his apartment. Inside, there’s a locked wooden box with four keyholes; the box is engraved with the words “The meaning of life: for Jeremy Fink to open on his 13th birthday.” Jeremy recognizes the engraving as the unmistakable work of his father, who died in an accident five years earlier. The only problem: the letter accompanying the package, from his father’s lawyer, says that the keys to the box are missing. And so: Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy set out to find them, making other unexpected discoveries along the way. This book reminded me of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which is definitely a good thing: the mystery/quest aspect of the plot, plus the brother/sister-ish companionship of Jeremy and Lizzy, and the sense that these are smart/interesting/quirky kids: all around, a pleasing book.