Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett; illustrated by Brett Helquist

Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are two rather unusual children who become involved in an art theft and find themselves working together to solve the case and save the priceless painting from destruction. The painting is A Lady Writing by Johannes Vermeer and is stolen from a museum by someone who claims to want the world to know about Vermeer and that many paintings attributed to him are actually forgeries. Calder and Petra find themselves drawn deep into the conspiracy when it seems that the thief will destroy the painting if his demands are not met. If you like puzzles and mysteries, you will love this book!

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year boy who has developed a plan to rebuild his family's fortunes with fairy gold. His first step is to obtain a copy of the "Book" which reveals all fairy secrets. Then he must find a way to read the obscure language used in the book. His plan involves kidnapping a fairy, then ransoming her for a ton of fairy gold. But this is no "sugar plum" fairy, she is armed and dangerous. In this story of humans against fairy people, we meet all manner of magical people, including goblins, elves, trolls, dwarfs, and centaurs. Will Artemis Fowl succeed in his quest for fairy gold? Read this book to find out.