These new novels for young readers will capture attention with tons of infused adventure and mystery.

"Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer" by John Grisham; Dutton/Penguin; 263 pages; $16.99.

John Grisham's first book for children delivers the masterful storytelling of his best-sellers, but this time he captures courtroom drama appropriate for 10- to 14-year-old readers. Here, 13-year-old Theo Boone knows every judge, policeman and court clerk in his small town. And though Theo dreams of being a lawyer, he isn't quite ready for his unexpected courtroom trial.

Full of intense intrigue and suspense, Grisham's carefully crafted legal thriller keeps readers guessing, especially when young Theo is dragged into a sensational murder trial with a cold-blooded killer who is about to go free.

Kudos once again, Mr. Grisham. Let's hope this is only your first in a long line of suspense novels for kids.

"The Ring of Five" by Eoin McNamee; Knopf Delacorte Dell/Random House; 352 pages; $16.99.

Known for the critically acclaimed "Navigator" series, Eoin McNamee debuts a new trilogy that looks to be both thrilling and imaginative. In "The Ring of Five," a lonely boy named Danny, with pointed ears and a triangular face, is sent away to what he thinks is boarding school. But when Danny arrives, he realizes he's in a school for spies. He meets a bevy of unusual friends, including a thief with wings, a girl who can disappear and reappear at will, and a physick who can suck illness from anyone's body.

Why is Danny at the new school? So that he can penetrate the inner circle and report their secrets back to the teachers. A fun spy thriller-meets-fantasy novel, "The Ring of Five" should engage kids 10 and up.

"The Dead-Tossed Waves" by Carrie Ryan; Delacorte Press; 416 pages; $17.99.

Ryan's "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" is a gorgeously crafted, powerful novel for young adults. The story continues within the confines of a world devastated by a deadly virus in her latest, which takes a distinctively narrative turn. Here, Mary's daughter — who is content with her quiet life by the sea — tells her point of view.

Ryan ingeniously weaves in this new protagonist, Gabry, and a story line that reflects both the past and present. Gabry feels secure behind the barrier that protects her town from the forest, but danger is still not invisible. And a childhood dare opens up a terrifying world and a tangled web of love, hurt, anger and mystery.

"The Dead-Tossed Waves" works as either a companion to Ryan's predecessor or as an absorbing, dramatic novel on its own. Much more than a series about the living dead, Ryan's works are nail biters.

"Gold Medal Murder: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery" by Caroline Keene and Franklin W. Dixon; Aladdin/Simon and Schuster; 170 pages; $5.99.

Things have to turn out when Nancy Drew meets up with the Hardy Boys. In this "new" Nancy Drew tale, an Olympic swimmer is being thrown off his game when he receives death threats. With plenty of sports drama, Olympics fever and Los Angeles gloss, this Drew/Hardy mystery is more modern and sunny than others.

A perfect "throw-in-the-beach-bag" paperback girls and boys ages 8 to 12 will devour in an afternoon, the active mystery's back cover sums it up: "One Olympic scandal. One big crime. Three of the best teen detectives of all time."

"Monster's Proof" by Richard Lewis; Simon & Schuster; 280 pages; $7.99.

Booklist calls Lewis' latest novel "a mix of abstract theory, algebra cult worship, and divine intervention that's nothing short of audacious." In this math-centered (wait! Don't snooze off just yet!) tale, Livey Eli juggles cheerleading, school, and managing her absent-minded professor father and math genius little brother. But things get weirder when young Darby brings his imaginary friend, Bob, to life through a math theorem.

Where's the problem, you say? Well, Bob, a creature of pure math, hates chaos in any form and wreaks havoc in his determination to fix the disorderly world.

Completely abstract and randomly odd and imaginative, "Monster's Proof" is that book kids (12 and up) will shake their heads at and cling to at the same time.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.